IRE vs AFG: The third match of the ODI series between Ireland and Afghanistan was played at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast. The Afghan team won the toss and elected to bowl. They proved their mettle, dismissing Ireland for just 206 runs. Afghanistan then won the match by three wickets in the 45th over. With this victory, the team has directly qualified for the ICC ODI World Cup 2027.
Afghanistan team got a great victory
After losing the toss and opting to bat first, Ireland got off to a poor start. Andrew Balbirnie managed just 7 runs. Cade Carmichael scored 32 for Ireland, while Gavin Hoey made 36. Jai Mundra also added 31 runs in the end, helping Ireland to be all out for 206 in 46.3 overs. For Afghanistan, Allah Ghazanfar and Rashid Khan took 3 wickets each. Chasing a target of 207, Afghanistan got off to a good start. Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz played a brilliant innings of 71 runs. Finally, Rashid Khan made an unbeaten 37 off 43 balls. With this, Afghanistan won the match by 3 wickets. Gavin Hoey took 4 wickets for Ireland.
Afghanistan have officially QUALIFIED ✅ for the 2027 Cricket World Cup after beating Ireland in the third ODI pic.twitter.com/cc6mstjgkH
— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) August 10, 2026
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9 teams confirmed for ICC ODI World Cup 2027
Eight teams have already qualified for the ICC ODI World Cup 2027. These include India, Australia, New Zealand, England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. South Africa and Zimbabwe have already qualified due to their hosting rights. Afghanistan has now secured its place as the ninth team. The Afghan team previously performed exceptionally well in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.