Cricket: ICC U-19 Men’s World Cup 2024 Qualification begins

The future stars of men’s cricket are set to contest the first pathway events en-route to the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup as qualification gets underway in August.

The event, which continues its rich legacy of having introduced some of today’s biggest cricket icons onto the world stage, will see the most promising talent from around the globe battle it out to identify the competing nations in 2024.

The 15th edition of the event will involve Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe by virtue of their top 11 finish in the 2022 edition.

The remaining five spots will be determined by regional qualification.

Guernsey will be the first stop on the qualification calendar for the 2024 event.

Due to the depth in strength in the Europe, Africa and Asia regions, a two-division qualification pathway will take place with 24 teams competing for eight Regional Qualifier spots.

The Europe Division 2 Qualifier starting on August 5 will see eight teams competing in 20 matches over a seven-day period across the island’s four venues.

Young stars representing Denmark, France, Germany, Isle of Man, Italy, Norway and Sweden will arrive in Guernsey alongside the hosts to set the ball rolling on another thrilling series of qualification events.

The two finalists and the winner of the third-place playoff will all progress to join Jersey, the Netherlands and Scotland in the Europe Qualifier - the second and final stage in the region’s qualification pathway, which will be held in 2023.

Speaking on the commencement of the Europe Division 2 Qualifier, Mark Latter, Chief Executive Officer at Guernsey Cricket commented, “Having had to put international cricket on hold for the past couple of years, to be back both playing and hosting is really exciting and we look forward to welcoming all the teams to Guernsey to enjoy the fantastic cricket facilities we have and also the delights of our beautiful island.

“For the Guernsey players it is great that they get the opportunity to show their talents in front of their family and friends, and for all it provides the opportunity to make cricketing friendships that will no doubt be rekindled in later years as they progress into their respective senior squads.”

Upon conclusion of the Europe qualifying event, the focus will then shift to the Africa and Asia regions. Both will host their Division 2 Qualifiers from September before their final Regional Qualifiers in 2023.

Oman will play host to the ICC Asia Division 2 Qualifier from September 29 to October 7.

Bahrain, Bhutan, Hong Kong, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Thailand will be competing, with the two finalists progressing to the Asia Qualifier.

They will join Kuwait, Malaysia, Nepal and UAE who are already granted a place at the final stage of qualification.

From September 30 to October 8, the Africa Division 2 Qualifier takes place in Abuja, Nigeria where the competing hosts will welcome Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda and Sierra Leone.

The two finalists plus the third-placed team will qualify to compete at the Africa Qualifier in 2023 where they will be joined by Namibia, Tanzania and Uganda who enter the qualification pathway at this stage.

Americas and East Asia Pacific nations will see their qualifying events for the World Cup take place in 2023, with both regions each hosting one single qualification event to determine their qualifying teams.

ICC Head of Events Chris Tetley remarked: “The U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup has a great tradition of developing some of the finest players that have graced the game. It is a wonderful opportunity for the stars of tomorrow to shine on the world stage, give fans the first glimpse of their next heroes and showcase the bright future the sport has in growing cricket nations.

“The qualification process provides countries like Malawi, who are competing for the first time in the Men’s U-19 pathway the platform to compete in a global multi-team event. Over the next couple of months 24 teams across three regions will battle it out to secure their next step on the road to the World Cup.”

A total of 16 teams will be competing at the ICC U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.

Eleven teams have automatically qualified for the event as the best-placed Full Member nations from the previous event in 2022.

These are Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe.

The remaining five spots will be determined through regional qualification pathways, with one team from each region securing a place at the event.

Americas and EAP will each host one qualifying event in 2023, with the winner of each event sealing a spot at the U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.

The Africa, Asia and Europe regions will each have a two-step qualification structure.

These regions will host Division 2 Qualifiers in 2022 to determine the teams that will compete in the second and final qualifying event, the Regional Qualifier.

Only the winning teams from the Regional Qualifiers will qualify to compete at the U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.