ICC World Test Championship Explained: 2025–27 Standings, Points and Past Winners
See the 2025–27 WTC table, calculate points percentage correctly, understand over-rate penalties and review every World Test Championship winner.
The ICC World Test Championship (WTC) is a two-year league competition that gives designated bilateral Test series a common table. Nine teams contest each cycle, with the top two qualifying for a one-off final.
The important number is points percentage (PCT), not total points. PCT compares the share of available points each team has earned, even though teams play different numbers of Tests.
2025–27 World Test Championship standings
These standings are current to 25 September 2026, based on the ESPNcricinfo 2025–27 table. The ICC’s official standings page updates as the cycle continues.
| Pos. | Team | Tests | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 96 | 80.00 |
| 2 | South Africa | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 36 | 75.00 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 52 | 72.22 |
| 4 | Bangladesh | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 40 | 55.56 |
| 5 | India | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 68 | 51.52 |
| 6 | England | 16 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 74 | 38.54 |
| 7 | Sri Lanka | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 24 | 33.33 |
| 8 | West Indies | 12 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 30 | 20.83 |
| 9 | Pakistan | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 4.63 |
The points column is already adjusted for over-rate sanctions. The table records deductions of 14 points for England, two for West Indies and 19 for Pakistan. Pakistan’s two wins therefore produced 24 points before penalties but only five adjusted points.
Uneven match totals are part of the format rather than a scheduling error. Each team plays six series—three at home and three away—but series lengths vary. The ICC describes the WTC as a two-year, nine-team tournament in which teams are ranked by the percentage of points won in eligible Tests (ICC).
That is why England’s 74 points did not put them above South Africa’s 36. England had contested 192 possible points across 16 Tests, whereas South Africa had contested 48 across four.
How WTC points and PCT are calculated
Each eligible Test offers a team 12 possible points:
| Match result | Championship points |
|---|---|
| Win | 12 |
| Tie | 6 |
| Draw | 4 |
| Loss | 0 |
The calculation is:
PCT = adjusted points ÷ points available × 100
For completed matches in this table, points available equal Tests played × 12. Over-rate deductions reduce the adjusted points in the numerator, not the available points in the denominator.
Australia’s figures provide a simple example:
- Eight wins: 8 × 12 = 96 points
- Two losses: 2 × 0 = 0 points
- Points available: 10 × 12 = 120
- PCT: 96 ÷ 120 × 100 = 80.00%
A drawn Test is worth one-third of a win. A side with one win and one draw from two Tests earns 16 of 24 possible points: 66.67 PCT, assuming no deduction.
Why PCT is not win percentage
Win percentage divides wins by matches. WTC PCT divides championship points by available points, so draws and ties contribute; penalties can reduce it.
This distinction matters when teams have played different numbers of Tests. Raw points favour a side further into its schedule, while PCT measures its return from the opportunities played. It does not adjust for opposition strength, venues or home advantage. For results outside the championship calculation, Test results by team and year should be treated separately from WTC qualification.
Slow-over-rate deductions
A team can have fewer points than its wins and draws imply. Under the current playing condition, it loses one championship point for each over it is short after time allowances are applied.
For example, England were ruled 12 overs short against New Zealand in June 2026 and lost 12 WTC points. The ICC’s sanction notice cites Article 16.11.2 and confirms the one-point-per-over deduction. This is why PCT should be calculated from the table’s adjusted points, rather than reconstructed from results alone.
Which Tests count?
The nine participating teams in 2025–27 are Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies. Tests involving Afghanistan, Ireland or Zimbabwe are outside the WTC, as are matches between participating teams that are not designated as part of the championship.
The league is not a complete round robin: each side has six series, rather than facing all eight opponents. PCT corrects for different numbers of Tests, but it does not make the schedules equivalent. Opponents, venues and home-away conditions still differ.
Every World Test Championship winner
| Cycle | Champion | Runner-up | Final venue | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–21 | New Zealand | India | Rose Bowl, Southampton | New Zealand won by 8 wickets |
| 2021–23 | Australia | India | The Oval | Australia won by 209 runs |
| 2023–25 | South Africa | Australia | Lord’s | South Africa won by 5 wickets |
New Zealand chased 139 on the reserve day to win the rain-affected inaugural final (ICC retrospective). In 2023, Travis Head made 163 in Australia’s first innings and was named Player of the Match as his side beat India by 209 runs (ICC match report). South Africa then chased 282 to beat Australia by five wickets in 2025, with Aiden Markram making 136 (ICC match report).
The first three cycles therefore produced three different champions: New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. The top two teams in the 2025–27 standings will contest the next final at The Oval from 9 to 13 June 2027, as confirmed by the ICC’s venue and dates announcement.