Israel-Iran War Disrupts Cricket World Cup 2027 Qualifiers In Nepal, Matches 'Postponed Until Further Notice'

The Israel-Iran War has led to postponement of six matches in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 in Nepal. The qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup were to be held in Kirtipur from March 10 to 20, but now have been indefinitely postponed.

"In light of the current situation in the Middle East, the CWC League 2 matches scheduled to begin on March 10 in Kathmandu have been postponed until further notice. The affected fixtures include the matches involving Oman, UAE, and Nepal. The rescheduled dates will be announced in the coming days following further consultations," Cricket Nepal said in a statement.

What is ICC CWC League 2?

The tournament is a multi-year tournament, like the Test Championship, which determines qualification for the ODI World Cup 2027 in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe. Teams play multiple tri-series across different host nations with a cumulative points table. Four teams from the CWC League 2 will qualify for the 2027 World Cup.

The current postponement announcement comes for a tri-series involving Oman, Nepal and UAE. All three nations featured in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. Oman and UAE however have now been dragged into the ongoing Middle East crisis.

Zimbabwe finally return home after war halts travel

This is the latest incident on how the US-Iran-Israel War has bled into sport. Earlier, Zimbabwe Cricket confirmed that their team had to face several issues to ensure travel back home from playing the T20 World Cup 2026 in India.

Zimbabwe had made it to the Super 8s and played their last game on Sunday, but their return was delayed by at least a couple of days due to travel uncertainty.