Afghanistan's convincing 92-run win over Ireland in a rain-hit second ODI at Bready Cricket Club on August 7 sealed West Indies' fate this time. That victory secured Afghanistan's direct qualification, shutting the door for the West Indies.

This is the third straight time the West Indies have failed to qualify directly for the ODI World Cup. They made it through the qualifiers in 2019 but couldn't even progress past the qualifying stage for the 2023 tournament in India.

For 2027, as per ICC rules, co-hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe are in automatically. The next seven places go to the top teams on the ICC ODI rankings by September 30, 2026. As things stand, West Indies sit tenth in the current rankings. Afghanistan hold eighth, Bangladesh ninth, and Zimbabwe eleventh—though Zimbabwe's co-host status frees up another slot in the top nine. Still, West Indies can't break into those top nine spots before the cutoff.

Next up for the Windies is a three-match away ODI series against India. The first two games are set for September 27 in Thiruvananthapuram and September 30 in Guwahati. Even if West Indies manage to win both, it won't be enough to lift their ranking into the direct qualification zone.

Ireland are also headed for the 2027 World Cup qualifiers alongside West Indies. Their slim hopes of direct qualification faded even further after the rain wiped out the first match of their home series against Afghanistan. Ireland needed a 5-0 series win to have any real shot, so with that dream over, both teams will have to battle it out the hard way next year.