The race to reach next year’s World Test Championship (WTC) Final is heating up, with several teams vying for a spot at Lord’s for the showdown. India, Australia, and South Africa are intensifying efforts to make an appearance at the event. However, other teams like Sri Lanka and New Zealand could act as major spoilers and tilt the balance of sides gunning for a place at next year’s final.
Let’s check out teams with the highest chances of reaching the June 11 – 15 WTC Final 2025 at Lord’s, England.
Who Can Reach the Final?
India
Current PCT (57.29%)
Potential best finish (64.04%)
India faces a tall order ahead of their final push to qualify for another WTC cycle closer. The Men in Blue must win every Test meeting vs Australia to keep their qualification hopes alive. Any other outcome could see Team India relying on other results to make a back-to-back appearance at this event next year.
South Africa
Current PCT (63.33%)
Potential best finish (69.44%)
The Proteas registered a remarkable whitewash over Sri Lanka to roar back into contention for a place in next year’s final. South Africa has an easier path than most teams aiming to book a place at the next WTC Final. All they need to do is win both Test series vs Pakistan and earn a maiden berth at the marquee long-format cricket event.
Australia
Current PCT (60.71%)
Potential best finish (67.65%)
The Aussies managed to register a win over India after the Adelaide Test, shrugging off their defeat to the visitors in Perth. Australia’s second Test win over India keeps the team in contention for a WTC Final place.
Qualification for next year’s event remain in the team’s hands – they need to win 4 out of 5 games left to make a back-to-back finals appearance. They only need to draw the series vs India at 2-2 and go on to register a 2-0 whitewash over Sri Lanka for an easy path to Lord’s next year.
Sri Lanka
Current PCT (45.45%)
Potential best finish (53.85%)
No other team has a tougher qualification path than Sri Lanka. The Lankans will have to beat Australia 2-0 in 2025 and hope for South Africa and India to falter during their qualifying round of games.
World Test Championship 2025 Table (As of December 12, 2024)
| Rank | Team | Matches | Wins | Losses | Draws | NR | Points (PT) | Percentage (PCT) |
| 1 | South Africa | 15 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 76 | 63.33 |
| 2 | Australia | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 102 | 60.71 |
| 3 | India | 16 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 110 | 57.29 |
| 4 | Sri Lanka | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 45.45 |
| 5 | England | 21 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 114 | 45.24 |
| 5 | New Zealand | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 44.23 |
| 6 | England | 20 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 102 | 42.50 |
| 7 | Pakistan | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 33.33 |
| 8 | Bangladesh | 12 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 31.25 |
| 9 | West Indies | 11 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 24.24 |
Current WTC Schedule (from December 13, 2024)
| Date | Dates | Time | Teams | Match Type | Venue |
| 13 Dec 2024 | Dec 14-18, 2024 | 11:00 pm | New Zealand vs England | 3rd Test | Hamilton |
| 14 Dec 2024 | Dec 14-18, 2024 | 1:20 am | Australia vs India | 3rd Test | Brisbane |
| 26 Dec 2024 | Dec 26-30, 2024 | 12:30 am | Australia vs India | 4th Test | Melbourne |
| 26 Dec 2024 | Dec 26-30, 2024 | 9:00 am | South Africa vs Pakistan | 1st Test | Centurion |
| 03 Jan 2025 | Jan 03-07, 2025 | 12:30 am | Australia vs India | 5th Test | Sydney |
| 03 Jan 2025 | Jan 03-07, 2025 | 9:30 am | South Africa vs Pakistan | 2nd Test | Cape Town |
| 16 Jan 2025 | Jan 16-20, 2025 | 6:30 am | Pakistan vs West Indies | 1st Test | Karachi |
| 24 Jan 2025 | Jan 24-28, 2025 | 6:30 am | Pakistan vs West Indies | 2nd Test | Multan |
| 29 Jan 2025 | Jan 29-Feb 02, 2025 | 5:30 am | Sri Lanka vs Australia | 1st Test | Galle |
| 06 Feb 2025 | Feb 06-10, 2025 | 5:30 am | Sri Lanka vs Australia | 2nd Test | Galle |
| 11 Jun 2025 | Jun 11-15, 2025 | 12:00 pm | TBA vs TBA (Top 2 Ranked WTC 2023-25 Teams) | Final | Lord’s |
How The WTC Points System Works
Each WTC cycle runs for roughly 24 months. The current WTC cycle (2023 – 25) began in June 2023 and will conclude in June 2025.
All teams play six bilateral series throughout the 2-year cycle. A 12-point award goes to the winner per match throughout each series. A tie will see 6 points go to each team, and both sides will get 4 points each for a draw. The six series each team will play is split equally between home and away events. Teams play different numbers of Tests across series; hence, the WTC points system allots ranks based on percentage points won. A victory (12 points) is 100%, a tie (6 points) is 50%, and a draw (4 points) is 33%. Teams can receive deductions for slow over rates
