Namibia will co-host the tournament alongside South Africa and Zimbabwe, with the 14-team competition scheduled to take place from October 2 to November 21, 2027. However, unlike the other hosts, Namibia have not received automatic qualification.

Asked whether Namibia should have been guaranteed a place at the tournament given their status as co-hosts, Erasmus believed they should have been.

“I obviously believe so because I want to play in it. I think from a player's perspective, it's obviously the pinnacle, especially in white-ball cricket,” he said on Wisden’s The Scoop episode.

“It's obviously not our decision that we make as players, but as administration and as a proponent of world cricket and Associate cricket, I think that we should have, yes.”

Erasmus was particularly critical of the number of qualifying rounds the Associate teams must navigate before reaching the World Cup itself.

“It's sort of the joke that goes around in Associate cricket, that we play qualifiers to qualify, and then play in a qualifying round,” he said.

“I think it is sometimes arduous and a little bit uninspirational in a sense for the player. You feel like you've gone another step forward, but then when you get to the next step, it's just sort of the same thing.”

How Namibia's World Cup qualification pathway works

The 2027 World Cup will feature 14 teams, an expansion from the 10-team tournaments held in 2019 and 2023. However, the expansion has not meant automatic qualification for all three co-hosts.

South Africa and Zimbabwe secured direct entry as Full Member hosts, while eight other teams qualified through their positions in the ICC Men's ODI Team Rankings at the September 30, 2026 cut-off. The remaining four places will be decided through the 2027 Cricket World Cup Qualifier.

Namibia's route to the tournament is tied to the ICC's multi-tier qualification structure for Associate teams. The first stage was League 2, an ODI competition in which eight teams played a 36-match cycle. The top four finishers earned places in the final World Cup Qualifier, while the bottom four went through a separate Qualifier Play-Off alongside teams emerging from the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Challenge League.

The Qualifier Play-Offs will feature eight teams, with four advancing to the final 10-team qualifier, from where ten teams will advance to the main tournament.

Namibia's immediate route depends on the final League 2 standings. As of October 19, they were fifth with 33 points after completing their 36 matches. Oman, also on 33 points, still have four matches remaining and could claim the fourth direct qualifying spot. If Oman finish ahead of Namibia, the latter will have to contest the Qualifier Play-Off to keep their World Cup hopes alive. If Namibia secure fourth place, they can advance directly to the final qualifier.

However, even reaching the final qualifier would not guarantee a place at the World Cup, with only four of its 10 teams progressing.

Once in the World Cup, the challenges will not stop: The ICC has also introduced a new format for the tournament itself, where the winner of the 10-team qualifying tournament will progress directly to the group stage. The teams finishing second, third and fourth will have to compete in a Super Series for one final spot in the main event.

Erasmus expressed concern that the 50-over World Cup has become increasingly difficult for Associate nations to reach. “Obviously, the 50-over World Cup has gone to fewer teams over the last couple of editions. It feels like the last three or four editions have been a little bit more elitist, if you want to call it that,” he said.

Asked about the Qualifier Play-Off, Erasmus revealed even the venue and dates were unclear at the time of the interview. “No, we don't know. My coach doesn't know. I just happened to ask him before this. But I think it's all very last minute, as it is with lots of our other tours and tournaments.

“The rumour is that it's either in Nepal or in Oman and it's starting on the 28th of November till the 20th December.”