This was the first time that the European 2nd Division Championships were staged as a separate tournament - in 2000 (Glasgow) and 2002 (Belfast) they were held alongside the 1st Division Championships.

The tournament was hosted by the Belgian Cricket Federation, with matches staged on four grounds in Antwerp, Brussels and Mechelen. The competing nations were France, Germany, Gibraltar, Italy, Israel and Norway. AS part of the on-going World Cup Qualifying Series, the winner would join seven other nations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in January 2005 to play off for the twelfth and final place in the 2005 ICC Trophy (to be held in Ireland in July 2005). The top five nations in the ICC Trophy qualified for the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup.

Previous 2nd Division tournaments:

• 2002 (Belfast) - won by Gibraltar
• 2000 (Glasgow) - won by Gibraltar