Challenge League beckons with new opportunities

New teams taking part in 2024-2026 ICC Men's CWC Cricket World Cup Challenge League

The 2024-2026 ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League will see four new teams enter the fray, having not featured in the previous pathway tournament: the 2019-2022 Challenge League.

Among the new nations joining the other eight who retained their places are: Kuwait, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Bahrain and Tanzania.

PNG are a standout name as their participation in the Challenge League this year follows relegation from League 2 in the 2019-2023 window, where they finished in the bottom four and couldn’t progress to the 2023 Cricket World Cup Qualifier.

Tanzania, Kuwait and Bahrain on the other hand, gained their spots in the Challenge League after finishing among the top four nations at the 2024 ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League playoffs in March.

Surprisingly, the three qualified for the playoff tournament having met the requirements as being among the four nations with the highest Twenty20 international rankings.

The other team Saudi Arabia, who only finished seventh in the playoff, and thus eliminated from World Cup Qualification.

Kuwait and PNG are in Challenge League A that starts on 25 September in Kenya, while Tanzania and Bahrain take their place in League B.