Long road ahead for Bangladesh to secure 2027 World Cup spot

Bangladesh have lost 10 of their last 11 matches. Not long ago, ODIs were the format where they looked the strongest — but now it's the one where they are struggling the most. The poor run of form has taken a toll on their rankings too. Bangladesh have slipped to 10th place — their lowest position in 19 years. As a result, their direct qualification for the 2027 World Cup is now in jeopardy.

If Bangladesh are not among the top nine teams in the ODI rankings by 31 March 2027, they will have to play in the qualifying tournament. However, if South Africa — one of the co-hosts of the 2027 World Cup — drop out of the top eight, then Bangladesh will need to be among the top eight to qualify directly.

Exactly how many matches Bangladesh must win to secure direct qualification, or how many defeats would push them into the qualifiers, is still uncertain. What is certain, though, is that the next 18 months will be busy for the Tigers in ODIs — they are set to play 24 matches across eight series.

After finishing their series against Afghanistan, Bangladesh will host West Indies for three ODIs at home. If they can bounce back from the whitewash against Afghanistan and beat the Caribbeans 3–0, Bangladesh will move up to ninth in the rankings, overtaking West Indies.

Following that, Bangladesh's next ODI assignment will be against Pakistan in March after the T20 World Cup. Then they will play series against New Zealand, Australia, Zimbabwe, Ireland, India, and South Africa, each consisting of three matches.

Of these, the series against Pakistan and New Zealand (March–April), Australia (June), and India (September) will be played at home. The series against Zimbabwe, Ireland, and South Africa will be away.

After the South Africa series in November 2026, Bangladesh are not scheduled to play any ODIs until March 2027. However, BCB sources have hinted that new series might be arranged during that period.

The road ahead is long. How Bangladesh's position will look by 31 March 2027, no one can say for sure.

Bangladesh's upcoming ODI series

*Away series