India, the hosts of the Women's World Cup 2025, are in a rather vulnerable situation after four games. As they aim to qualify for the knockout stage, they are right on the edge of the top four after two wins to start the campaign were followed by two losses.

In what seems to be a three-way competition for two slots to complete the top four and advance to the semifinals, India is led by Harmanpreet Kaur. Despite a few shaky performances, England appears to be right behind Australia, who have already secured their place in the tournament's knockout stages. After an initial setback, South Africa has also responded strongly and appears to be ready to win.Here are several possible qualification scenarios for India's final three matches. India will face New Zealand in a crucial head-to-head match to see which team can outlast the other and advance to the tournament's next stage.

India now has four points after four games in the Women's World Cup standings, whereas New Zealand has three points because of a washout. India and New Zealand will play each other after first facing England and Pakistan, respectively. They will play England and Bangladesh, respectively, to wrap out the competition.

India wins all three games.
It is obviously easier said than done, but defeating Bangladesh, New Zealand, and England is the simplest way for India to advance. Ten points will be sufficient to advance India to the semifinals without relying on other teams if they end up with five victories.

India wins two, loses one.
India will mathematically be able to win just two games without using NRR calculations as long as they defeat New Zealand the following week. This implies that as long as they defeat the Black Ferns, even a defeat to England in Sunday's game won't end their chances.The likelihood that India will advance starts to drastically decline if New Zealand defeats them, like they did at the T20 World Cup last year.
India wins one, loses two.
Even if they lose to England and New Zealand in their next two games, they will still be mathematically in it, but it will be a very bad day for India. In addition to needing England to defeat New Zealand, they will first need to hope that Pakistan will assist them by defeating New Zealand.

Against New Zealand, it's a winner-take-all game.
In essence, if India can repeat New Zealand's recent performance throughout the next three games, they will be fine. For whichever team wins that match, regardless of what transpires in their subsequent game, things will be lot easier and less complicated. A victory for either team will put them in a strong position going into the tournament's final game, where India's match against Bangladesh is more easier to handle than the Kiwis' match versus England.