The journey to the World Test Championship (WTC) 2027 final has officially begun. After South Africa lifted their maiden WTC title in the 2023-25 cycle, attention is now on the ongoing two-year red-ball competition as nine Test-playing nations battle for a place in the final.
The fourth edition of the WTC runs from June 2025 to mid-2027 and features India, Australia, England, Pakistan, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and West Indies.
Each team will play six Test series during the cycle, three at home and three away. Every result is crucial as teams aim to secure valuable points early in the race to qualify for the final.
Add The Sporting News as a preferred news source
What is the format of the World Test Championship 2025-27?
The 2025-27 World Test Championship follows the same format used in previous editions. A total of 27 Test series comprising 71 matches will be played over two years.
Each team competes in six Test series, with every match contributing to the championship standings. The top two teams based on percentage of points (PCT) at the end of the league stage will qualify for the WTC Final.
Since teams play a different number of matches, standings are determined by the percentage of points won rather than total points alone.
MORE: Visit Cricket News for all the latest cricket coverage and opinion
World Test Championship 2025-27 points distribution
| Result | Points per Match | Percentage of Points |
|---|---|---|
| Win | 12 | 100 |
| Tie | 6 | 50 |
| Draw | 4 | 33.33 |
| Loss | 0 | 0 |
Note: Teams are ranked according to their percentage of points won (PCT).
Note: Teams are docked one championship point for slow over-rates.
MORE: The Hundred vs T20 cricket: Key differences explained between the formats
Latest World Test Championship 2025-27 Standings
| Pos | Team | Matches | Wins | Losses | Ties | Draws | No Result | Points | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 84 | 77.78 |
| 2 | South Africa | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 75.00 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 72.22 |
| 4 | Bangladesh | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 66.67 |
| 5 | India | 9 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 48.15 |
| 6 | Sri Lanka | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 41.67 |
| 7 | England | 13 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 24.36 |
| 8 | Pakistan | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 16 | 22.22 |
| 9 | West Indies | 12 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 20.83 |
Previous World Test Championship Winners
| Cycle | Champion | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-21 | New Zealand | India |
| 2021-23 | Australia | India |
| 2023-25 | South Africa | Australia |