ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualification resumes as East Asia-Pacific nations gear up for regional decider

Photo Credit: ICC

• ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup East Asia-Pacific Qualifier 2023 set to begin on 12 June; seven teams will compete across 21 matches and five venues in Darwin, Australia
• 12 teams have already qualified for the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 in Sri Lanka, four spots left
• An infographic detailing the qualification pathway for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 is available here

Qualification for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Sri Lanka 2024 returns next week with Darwin, Australia set to play host to the next generation of cricket talent in the East Asia-Pacific (EAP) Qualifier between 12 and 21 June.

In what will be the first U19 Men’s Qualifier to take place in the region since 2019, future stars from seven teams will battle it out to determine the next qualifying nation in the race to Sri Lanka 2024, the 15^th edition of the celebrated event, which continues its rich legacy of forging the careers of some of the greats of the game.

12 teams have already secured their place at the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, and with only one spot available from the region, the EAP Qualifier will see Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Vanuatu go head-to-head knowing only the winning team will seal their passage through to the next year’s main event.

Ten days of competition will see 21 matches take place across five venues in the Northern Territory capital, which will host a combination of day and day/night matches in a round-robin format.

Speaking ahead of the EAP Qualifier, Rob Gomm, ICC Development Manager, East Asia-Pacific commented, “I am thrilled to welcome to Darwin the top-talented U19 men’s players from across the East Asia-Pacific region, all aiming to gain a place at the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2024. Each team has been training hard and is ready to give it their all to compete at the highest level.

“I would like to wish Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Vanuatu the very best for the event, and extend my sincere thanks to NT Cricket for hosting what will no doubt be an incredible event.”

Among the venues hosting the EAP Qualifier is TIO Stadium, a multi-purpose venue which regularly hosts Rugby League and Australian Rules Football. The venue will see the welcome return of international cricket after 15 years, following the installation of a drop-in pitch earlier this week.

Gavin Dovey, Chief Executive Officer of Northern Territory Cricket added, “Cricket is surging in popularity across the Asia-Pacific region so there will be some serious talent on show for our cricket loving community to watch.

“We are thrilled the ICC has chosen Darwin to host these important World Cup qualifiers. It’s an exciting first step in international cricket returning to the Northern Territory.”

The seven teams will be hoping to add to an already dramatic regional qualification process. Nepal became the first to progress through the qualification pathway by virtue of winning the Asia Qualifier back in March thanks to a gripping seven-run victory over UAE.

Fans around the world can follow the action live through a number of broadcast and live-streaming platforms, including Sky in New Zealand, Fancode in India, Digicel in the Pacific Islands and Northern Territory (NT) Cricket Youtube for viewers in Australia and the Rest of the World. Live scores will also be available on the ICC website and app.

Match Schedule

All times are listed in ACST

ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 Qualification Structure

16 teams will be competing at the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Sri Lanka 2024 over 41 matches. 11 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. Nepal secured their qualification back in March as winners of the Asia Qualifier.

Americas and EAP each host one qualifying event in 2023, with the winner of each event sealing a spot at the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Sri Lanka 2024.

The Africa, Asia and Europe regions each have a two-step qualification structure. These regions hosted Division 2 Qualifiers in 2022 to determine the teams that will compete in the second and final qualifying event, the Regional Qualifier, with events taking place in 2023.

Only the winning teams from the Regional Qualifiers will qualify to compete at the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Sri Lanka 2024.

Remaining ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Regional Qualifiers

Africa Regional Qualifier – 23-29 July, Tanzania
Participating Teams: Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda

Europe Regional Qualifier – 6-12 August, Netherlands
Participating Teams: Guernsey, Italy, Jersey, Netherlands, Norway, Scotland

Americas Regional Qualifier – 1-17 August, Canada
Participating Teams: Argentina, Bermuda, Canada, Suriname, USA

ICC