Nearly halfway through the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle, the standings are starting to take real shape — and a couple of traditional Test powerhouses find themselves further down the table than usual.
## Current Standings (Late July 2026)
Based on the latest results through the West Indies-Pakistan series, the table reads:
1. **Australia** — 7 wins from 8 Tests, points percentage of 87.50
2. **South Africa** — reigning WTC champions, holding second position
3. **New Zealand** — a strong showing places them third
4. **Bangladesh** — fourth, following an impressive start to the cycle
5. **India** — four wins, four losses, one draw from nine Tests
6. **Sri Lanka** — sixth
7. **England** — seventh, after a mixed start
8. **West Indies** — climbing after a 90-run win over Pakistan at Tarouba, though still searching for their first series win of the cycle
9. **Pakistan** — bottom of the table, with just one win from five Tests and a points percentage of only 6.67
## How the Points System Works
Every Test carries the same 12 points for a win, 6 for a tie, and 4 for a draw, regardless of how many matches are in a series — a deliberate change from earlier WTC cycles, where a two-Test series win could be worth less overall than a Test win in a five-match series. Teams are ranked on points percentage (PCT), calculated as points won divided by points available, rather than raw points, which accounts for teams having played different numbers of matches at any given moment.
## What’s Still to Come
With series against England, Sri Lanka, Australia and South Africa all still to unfold across the rest of 2026 — full details in our guides to [England](/england-cricket-fixtures), [Australia](/australia-cricket-schedule-this-year) and [South Africa’s](/south-africa-cricket-fixtures) upcoming fixtures — the table remains fluid. Pakistan’s bottom-placed finish is especially notable given the 2025-27 cycle runs all the way to a final at Lord’s in June 2027.
## Why the Cycle Matters
Only the top two teams at the end of the cycle reach the WTC final, following the same format South Africa used to beat Australia in June 2026. With India sitting mid-table and both Australia and South Africa building healthy leads, the remaining eighteen months promise a genuinely open race for the second finalist spot — assuming Australia’s current dominance holds at the top.
We’ll update this table after every completed Test series through the rest of the cycle.