South Africa’s series victory over Australia and West Indies’ triumph in Dhaka have widened the gap between the top three and the bottom six teams in the World Test Championship. New Zealand have surged to the summit following Australia’s defeat, knocking the Australians out of the top two. South Africa jumped to the second position after their Cape Town win, recording a points percentage of 71.43 in the 2025-27 cycle.
With ten Test series remaining among nine teams in the current cycle, no nation has yet secured its place in the final. Teams receive 12 points for a win, four for a draw, and six for a tie. The standings are determined using the points percentage system, calculated as points won divided by points contested multiplied by 100. No team has booked its place in the final yet, with 10 Test series among nine teams still to go in this current WTC cycle. Teams will get 12 points for a win, 4 for a draw, and 6 for a tie, note: In the WTC 2025-2027. The points percentage system (PCT) will be used to determine the leaderboard.
New Zealand sit at the top of the table with 72.22 percentage points and have ten Tests remaining. Winning six of their next ten matches would leave them on 64.6 percent, which might prove insufficient, whereas seven victories would lift them to 70.83 percent and strengthen their final prospects. Their remaining fixtures include home series against India and Sri Lanka. If they win 6 Tests, they will finish on 64.6, which might not be enough, of the remaining 120 points.
South Africa’s success against Australia places them strongly for a top-two finish with seven games left, five of which are at home. Clean-sweep series wins against Bangladesh and England could push Temba Bavuma’s side past 71.42 percent, securing their qualification ticket. Four victories would yield 64.28 percentage points, which might fall short.
Australia dropped out of the top two for the first time in this cycle after suffering two consecutive losses. Before the South Africa tour, they led the standings with 80 percentage points from ten matches. Holding a 69.23 percentage, they face remaining series against New Zealand at home and India away in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy during early 2027, requiring at least six wins from nine matches to reach 67.2 percent. Home), ENG (3 Tests, home), SL (2 Tests, away), remaining fixtures: BAN (2 Tests. Home), IND (5 Tests, away), remaining fixtures: NZ (4 Tests. Which might not be sufficient to finish in the top two, a 0-2 loss in New Zealand followed by a 5-0 home sweep of Australia would leave India on 59.26%. Home), SA (2 Tests, away), ENG (2 Tests, home), remaining fixtures: WI (1 Test.
India occupy fourth place with 51.52 percentage points following a draw in Colombo. Winning all seven remaining matches would yield a 70.37 percentage, while six wins would elevate them to 65 percent. Their remaining schedule features a home series against New Zealand and an away tour to Australia.
Bangladesh slipped to fifth place with 47.62 percentage points after losing in Dhaka against the West Indies. They must win all five remaining matches to surpass the 65 percent threshold, as a single defeat would limit them to 61.11 percent and likely eliminate their top-two aspirations. Their schedule includes away series against Pakistan and New Zealand alongside a home series against South Africa.
Sri Lanka hold 33.33 percentage points from six matches, keeping their final hopes alive following a home draw against India. Winning all six remaining Tests would take them to 66.67 percentage points, which could suffice for qualification if other results favor them.
