Twelve teams participate in two groups, where the top team of each group advances to the World Cup Qualifier Play-off, which is a pathway to qualification for the next Cricket World Cup.

[2][3] The Cricket World Cup is held once every four years and the Challenge League forms part of the qualification process for each edition.

The top ranked team of each group advances to the World Cup Qualifier Play-off.

For a Challenge League team to qualify for the World Cup, they must, in succession, top their Challenge League group, achieve a top-two finish in the World Cup Qualifier Play-off and achieve a top-two finish in the World Cup Qualifier.

The bottom four teams from the Challenge League are also at risk of dropping out of the 32-team qualification system entirely.