One team is winning at an 87 percent clip. Another has played only three matches and is already close behind. Everyone else is fighting over what remains. That is the state of the World Test Championship race roughly halfway through the 2025-2027 cycle, and the final at Lord’s in June 2027 is a long way from settled.
How the race works
The current cycle runs from June 2025 to June 2027 and covers 27 series and 71 matches across nine Test-playing nations. Each team plays six series, three at home and three away. Because the schedules are uneven and not everyone plays the same number of matches, the table ranks teams by the percentage of available points they win, not by raw totals.
A win earns 12 points, a draw 4, and a tie 6. The top two teams by percentage meet in the final.
The percentage rule matters more than it first appears. A team with two wins from two matches sits on 100 percent, while a team with nine wins from ten sits lower despite having done far more. Early in a cycle the table flatters anyone with a short fixture list, and that is worth remembering before getting excited about any number below.
Where the table stands
Here is how the nine teams line up after the latest completed matches.
| Team | Matches | Record | Points % | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 8 | 7 wins, 1 loss | 87.50 | Clear leaders |
| New Zealand | 3 | 2 wins, 1 draw | 77.78 | Three Tests against England to come |
| South Africa | 4 | 3 wins, 1 loss | 75.00 | Champions from the last cycle |
| Sri Lanka | 2 | 1 win, 1 draw | 66.67 | |
| Pakistan | 2 | 1 win, 1 loss | 50.00 | Three Tests against England to come |
| India | 9 | 4 wins, 4 losses, 1 draw | 48.15 | |
| England | 10 | 3 wins, 6 losses, 1 draw | 31.67 | Three Tests against New Zealand to come |
| Bangladesh | 2 | 1 draw, 1 loss | 16.67 | |
| West Indies | 8 | 1 draw, 7 losses | 4.17 | Effectively out of contention |
Notice how little the middle of the table is worth right now. Sri Lanka and Pakistan have each played two matches. One result either way would move them by a huge margin, so their current positions say very little about where they will finish.
Why Australia are the clear favorites
Australia have won seven of their eight matches. That is a full campaign of dominance, not a hot streak. Their sample is also much bigger than most of their rivals’: they have played eight Tests, while New Zealand have played three and South Africa four. When a team holds 87.50 percent over that many games, the number reflects real quality and not a lucky start.
Barring a serious slump, Australia look close to a lock for one of the two final places. If their home summer keeps producing results at anything like this rate, they will also be favorites to win the final itself.
The only real danger is a collapse. The arithmetic shows why the lead is so solid: seven wins at 12 points each is 84 points out of a possible 96, and that is where 87.50 percent comes from.
The small-sample contenders
New Zealand
New Zealand’s 77.78 percent looks great, but it comes from three matches: two wins and a draw. A single difficult tour or an unexpected home loss could swing that figure sharply in either direction. They still have a three-Test series against England, and that series will show whether this is a genuine title challenge or a quick start that drifts back toward average.
England are not in good form, which helps New Zealand. But a series against a struggling side is also the kind of series where a team that wants to be taken seriously needs to win outright, not scrape a draw. A drawn series would leave New Zealand with a decent percentage and a lot of unanswered questions.
South Africa
South Africa are the reigning champions. They beat Australia at Lord’s in the last final, and they bring that experience into this cycle. Their 75.00 percent from four matches, built on three wins and one loss, keeps them firmly in the conversation.
They have played one more match than New Zealand, and their record has a loss in it, so their number is slightly more battle tested. If they hold anything close to this rate through their remaining series, they are the team best placed to challenge Australia directly for a return trip to the final.
India and England: work to do
India’s 48.15 percent from nine matches puts them sixth. That is an uncomfortable spot for a team that has reached three of the last four WTC finals. Four wins and four losses from nine games describes a side that can beat anyone and lose to anyone. The draw in there did not help much either.
India do have one thing going for them. They have the largest remaining fixture list of any contender, so there is time to climb. But the climb needs wins, and another middling series would leave them chasing a gap that keeps growing. With nine matches already used, every dropped point counts for more than it would for a team with a lighter schedule so far.
England’s situation looks tougher. They have played 10 matches, more than any other team, and have 31.67 percent to show for it after three wins, six losses and a draw. That is the profile of a side that has struggled for consistency across a heavy home and away schedule.
Their coming series against New Zealand is less about reaching the final and more about damage control. England need to keep their percentage from sliding toward the bottom of the table. A good result would not transform their cycle, but a bad one would make it much worse.
The rest of the field
Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh have each played just two matches, so any judgment about them is guesswork. Sri Lanka’s 66.67 percent and Pakistan’s 50.00 percent are respectable, and Pakistan still have three Tests against England to come. Bangladesh sit on 16.67 percent and have a long way to go.
West Indies have played eight matches and won none of them. With one draw and seven losses, their 4.17 percent leaves them effectively out of the race. Their remaining matches matter for pride and for other teams’ percentages, but not for the final.
Predicting the final two
Australia look like the safest bet to take one of the two places, given the size and strength of their lead. The second place is a three-way contest between New Zealand, South Africa and India, and each of them has a different problem to solve.
New Zealand need to show their fast start is sustainable. South Africa need to keep defending their percentage across a full slate of remaining series. India need a big turnaround, given how many matches they have already played.
If I had to pick right now, I would take South Africa for the second spot. Their recent final experience and a currently strong percentage make them a shrewder bet than New Zealand, whose number rests on only three matches. I would not put much money on that call, though. One bad series for South Africa or one strong series for New Zealand could reverse it.
The same arithmetic explains why New Zealand’s number is so fragile. Two wins and a draw is 28 points out of 36, so one loss in their next match would pull them down by a long way, while the same loss would barely move Australia.
Think of it like a marathon at the halfway mark. The leader rarely loses from that position, but the fight for second is where the real drama usually happens.
Frequently asked questions
Who is currently top of the World Test Championship table?
Australia lead the 2025-2027 standings with a points percentage of 87.50 from eight matches.
When and where is the next WTC final?
The 2025-2027 final is scheduled for June 2027 at Lord’s in London.
Who won the last World Test Championship?
South Africa won the 2023-2025 final at Lord’s, beating Australia by five wickets.
Are India still in contention for the WTC final?
Yes, though their path has become harder. India sit sixth with a 48.15 percent points return and would need a strong run through their remaining series to reach the top two.