Ireland take on the United States in Toronto tomorrow at the start of three-week ICC Trophy campaign that will see Kyle McCallan's team either reach the promised land of the World Cup or remain in the cricketing wilderness for another four years.
So much planning, hard graft and expectation has been invested in the dream of rubbing shoulders with Australia, England and hosts South Africa in 2003 that failure to claim one of the three places on offer in Canada hardly bears thinking about.
Ireland went agonisingly close four years ago when an experienced team lost their heads along with their wickets in Kuala Lumpur's third-place play-off to present Scotland with the last place in the 1999 tournament, and while the World Cup has been expanded to include two more teams in South Africa, qualification will be no easier this time.
With 1997 finalists Bangladesh and Kenya now elevated to one-day international status and exempted from qualifying, Ireland are, in all likelihood competing against Scotland, Holland and hosts Canada for one of the three places on offer, with Denmark, Bermuda and the West Indian-dominated US dangerous outsiders.
The first stage of the Irish campaign takes in group matches against the USA, Hong Kong, Denmark, Bermuda and Papua New Guinea with the top four proceeding to the next round and games against the survivors of Scotland, Holland, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Fiji and Singapore.
At the end of nine matches in only 14 days, the most successful four teams will then proceed to the ICC Trophy final and a third-place play-off, whose importance can hardly be overestimated, as its loser will miss out on the World Cup.
Ireland should contest one of those games, but there are too many unknown quantities for this to be a certainty: the unproven form of fast bowlers Ryan Egestion and Mark Patterson, who are returning from long-term injuries; whether home advantage will aid Canada and the US; how many Pakistani "ringers" the UAE can get away with and not least the nature of the newly-laid pitches many of which were still under snow in April.
It is impossible to cover all bases with only 14 players and coach Ken Rutherford will be happy if it proves to be a spinners' tournament because his quartet of Matt Dwyer, McCallan, Andrew White and Decker Curry will not be bettered.
From Eight of the Ireland squad will be playing in their first ICC Trophy but the inclusion of veteran Curry in the middle order gives the side balance and with Merrion's Ed Joyce sure to be among the best batsmen on show.
Rutherford's only problem would seem to be deciding who opens with Jason Molins.
Ireland: K McCallan (capt), J Molins, P Davy, A White, D Joyce, E Joyce, D Curry, D Heasley A Patterson (wkt), M Patterson, R Egestion, M Dwyer, P Mooney, A McCoubrey.
