Kenya have previously appeared in just one Twenty20 (T20) World Cup, the inaugural edition in 2007. Their record in 50-over cricket is much prouder, however. The men’s side qualified for five consecutive one-day international (ODI) World Cups from 1996 to 2011 with the zenith point of the nation coming in 2003 when they stunned the cricketing world by making the semi-finals.
Unfortunately, due to a series of off-field issues and player strikes, by 2005 Kenyan cricket had lost sponsors, their governing body had dissolved and the men's side found themselves in the international wilderness.
By 2014, Kenya’s poor results saw them lose their official ODI status and relegated to the ICC’s Challenge League - the third tier of international 50-over cricket. In 2018, they were granted official T20 international (T20I) status along with all of the other ICC Associate Members.
After many years of underperforming, where to next for Kenya’s cricketers? Well, there are two World Cups coming up that they can qualify for. The first to come is the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka and then in 2027, there will be another edition of the 50-over World Cup, held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. But how can Kenya qualify for those? Find out in what follows!
2026 T20 World Cup qualification
The next T20 World Cup will be in 2026. The most recent one was in June 2024 in the USA and Caribbean - India won that tournament. There will be 20 teams participating in the 2026 edition once again and the format will be the same as the most recent edition - a pool stage comprises four groups of five teams with the top two in each progressing to a second group phase before the semi-finals.
14 of the 20 participating nations are already determined for the 2026 World Cup. The hosts - India and Sri Lanka - automatically qualify as do the seven other sides that progressed to the second round of the 2024 World Cup: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, the USA and West Indies. Ireland, New Zealand and Pakistan have also qualified based on rankings.
The remaining six qualifiers will come from continental qualifiers with two more teams to come from Europe, Asia and Africa and one from the Americas and East Asia-Pacific region.
The African qualification begins with a group stage, starting this month. Three groups of six nations play a round-robin with the top two in each group progressing to the Regional Final, which is another group stage where those six qualifiers will join Namibia and Uganda in a second round-robin. The top two nations from that second phase will progress to the World Cup proper.
For Kenya to qualify from the African qualification route, they must first finish in the top two of Qualifier Group B - all of which will be played in Kenya, starting on the 17th of October this year and ending on the 26th of October.
Kenya will face Gambia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Seychelles and ICC Full Member Zimbabwe in Group B. If Kenya do not finish in first or second place, their T20 World Cup dream will be over. If they do, they will progress to the Regional Final phase where they must finish first or second once again to qualify for the main event.
2027 ODI World Cup qualification
As mentioned above, Kenya find themselves in what is known as the Challenge League. This is the third tier of 50-over international cricket. The Challenge League is broken into two leagues of six - A and B - and runs from later this year through to 2026 in a series of three round-robins, one to be played in each year (2024, 2025 & 2026).
Kenya are in League A alongside Jersey, Denmark, Kuwait, Qatar and Papua New Guinea and they will host the first round of matches (each nation playing each other once) from September 25th to October 5th this year.
Below the Full Member Nations, there is a second-tier league of eight sides known as League 2. The League 2 nations play each other in an extended league format that goes over a two-year cycle and this forms part of their qualification path to the 2027 World Cup.
League 2 comprises Canada, Namibia, Scotland, the Netherlands, Nepal, Oman, the UAE and the USA. The top four sides at the conclusion of League 2 progress to a tournament known as the 'World Cup Qualifier', set to take place in 2026.
The World Cup Qualifier will contain 10 participants, the top four from League 2 as mentioned, the 11th and 12th ranked teams from the Full Members as well as four sides from what is known as the 'Qualifier Play-Off'.
The Qualifier Play-Off will be contested by the bottom four sides from League 2 along with four sides from the Challenge League - the top two nations from League A and B. This is where Kenya fits into the equation.
Kenya must finish first or second in League A to then make the Qualifier Play-Off. At that stage, they must then finish in the top four of the Qualifier Play-Off to make the World Cup Qualifier and from there they must finish in the top four again to make the 2027 World Cup.
Qualification for both World Cups is a long and winding road for a team like Kenya, marooned in the third tier of men’s international cricket but not impossible. Here’s hoping this once proud and impressive cricketing country can return to the world stage soon enough!