The ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) is a prestigious white-ball tournament in the sport. Teams push their limits to win the championship every four years.
But it’s the associate nations that slog hard to make it to the main event. These teams first have to fight out in the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 to move one step closer to the ODI World Cup.
So what’s this ICC Cricket World Cup League 2?
Think of CWC League 2 as the second-tier ODI competition mostly played among associate nations with ODI status. The first in the pecking order is, of course, the World Cup, then comes League 2, followed by Challenge League, which is a third-tier List A competition.
Speaking of the CWC League 2, the International Cricket Council (ICC) started the competition in 2019. The aim behind this second-tier competition is to provide associate teams a chance to qualify for the ODI World Cup.
The CWC League 2 takes place over two and a half years before the next World Cup edition. So, for instance, the second edition of the CWC League 2 stretches from February 2024 to December 2026.
How many teams participate in ICC CWC League 2?
In the first edition, seven teams participated in the CWC League 2. But with the ICC doing away with the Super League after the 2023 World Cup, the second edition has eight teams.
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What’s the format of ICC CWC League 2?
The eight participating teams will play nine ODI tri-series each throughout the League 2 cycle. Three of those tri-series will be at home, while the remaining six will be away assignments.
The tri-series follows the double round-robin format, with teams taking on one another twice. That means each team will play 36 ODI matches in the CWC League 2.
The top four teams with the most points advance to the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, which determines the two teams that will enter the World Cup.
The bottom four teams, on the other hand, get one more opportunity to enter the CWC Qualifier by playing the Qualifier Play-Off, where they meet the top four sides of the Challenge League.
What’s the points system in ICC CWC League 2?
The points system is quite crucial in CWC League 2, as it determines the teams that will advance to the Qualifier. So, a win guarantees two points, while a no result means teams share a point each.
The team at the top with the most points is considered the champion of that particular CWC League 2 cycle.
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