The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has announced that Nepal will host the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-Off from December 4 to 21, 2026. The eight-team 50-over event will be staged in Kathmandu and offers Nepal a home platform to keep its 2027 ODI World Cup hopes alive after finishing outside the top four in Cricket World Cup League 2.

Eight sides will contest the tournament: the four lowest-placed teams from the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2, plus the top two finishers from Challenge League A and the top two from Challenge League B. The leading four teams will advance to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier, which decides the remaining berths for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Nepal, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates are confirmed League 2 participants heading into the play-off, while Italy and Uganda have already qualified from Challenge League. B. The final League 2 place and the Challenge League A representatives will be confirmed once those competitions conclude.

This route became necessary after Nepal’s League 2 campaign ended outside the top four. In the previous cycle the side had secured direct qualification for the World Cup Qualifier by finishing in the top four; this time the play-off is the remaining pathway. Hosting the event gives the national team familiar conditions and the support of home crowds across the three-week window, while also bringing seven visiting international sides to Nepal for an extended ODI competition.

The December dates mean the previously scheduled three-match series between Nepal and India A will not proceed as planned. According to CAN Secretary Paras Khadka, the revised schedule will be finalized through coordination between CAN and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The play-off follows immediately after the Nepal Premier League Season 3, which concludes on November 21 at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur. With the domestic T20 competition finishing in mid-November, national-team players will have a short turnaround before the ODI qualifying event begins in early December. Full fixtures and specific match venues for the play-off have not yet been released by CAN.

CAN confirmed the hosting window on October 22 through an official announcement. The development provides Nepal with a clear next step on the road to the 2027 ODI World Cup while highlighting the association’s capacity to stage multi-team international tournaments.