The stage is set for the upcoming Under-19 World Cup 2024, which is slated to begin from January 19 in South Africa. This is the first major event of the year. International Cricket Council (ICC) has revealed U-19 World Cup's complete details about the schedule, groups, teams, and stadiums. South Africa is hosting this event for the third time, having previously organised the Under 19 World Cup in 1998 and 2020. During these tournaments, England and Bangladesh emerged as the winners. From January 13 to January 17, all teams will play two warm-up matches each. The tournament features a total of 16 teams, divided into 4 groups. These teams will play a total of 41 matches during the tournament.
Defending champions India, have been placed in Group A along with former champions Bangladesh and two emerging teams, Ireland and the United States. Group B is being touted as the most dangerous group as it boasts of strong teams like England, South Africa, and West Indies, along with Scotland. Meanwhile, top teams like Australia and Sri Lanka have been placed in Group C, and New Zealand and Pakistan are in Group D.
Here are the four groups:
Group A - Bangladesh, India, Ireland, United States
Group B - England, Scotland, South Africa, West Indies
Group C - Australia, Namibia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe
Group D - Afghanistan, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan
All about the format
In the 15th edition of the ICC Men's One Day World Cup 2024, a new format will be implemented, where the top three teams from each of the four groups will advance to the next round. Then, these 12 teams will be divided into two groups, known as the Super Six stage. The teams finishing fourth in Group A and D will compete against each other, as will those in fourth place in Groups B and C in the placement phase.
In the Super Six stage, the top three teams from Groups A and D will be placed in one group, while the top three teams from Groups B and C will be placed in another group. Each team will carry forward points, wins, and net run rate. Then, each team will play two matches in the Super Six against teams from the other group. For example, the A1 team will play against D2 and D3 in the Super Six. Similarly, the A2 team will play against D1 and D3. The top two teams from each group in the Super Six will advance to the semifinals. Finally, two of the four teams will compete in the final. The semifinals will be played on February 6, and the final on February 11.
For this tournament, 11 teams have automatically qualified based on their rankings. The teams that have qualified due to their rankings include Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and Zimbabwe. The remaining 5 teams qualified through regional qualifications.
In 2023, the United States and the East Asia Pacific regions hosted qualifying events. The teams that won these events secured their entry into the Under 19 Cricket World Cup. Additionally, the teams from Africa, Asia, and Europe went through a two-step qualification process. This included Division 2 qualifiers in 2022, followed by regional qualifications in 2023. The teams that won in these regional qualifiers directly entered the tournament. Nepal was the first team to qualify through regional qualifications during this period, having defeated the UAE.
Asia Qualifier - Nepal
East Asia Pacific Qualifier - New Zealand
Africa Qualifier - Namibia
Europe Qualifier - Scotland and the United States
Notably, Sri Lankan team is currently suspended from this tournament. The suspension will remain in effect until further notice from the ICC.
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