ICC approves format changes for men’s Cricket World Cup and T20 World Cup
ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 Format Enhancements
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved significant enhancements to the formats of its marquee men’s events, including the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2028. These changes were ratified at the Annual General Meeting held in Edinburgh. The ICC Board, which includes three representatives from associate nations, endorsed recommendations from the Chief Executives’ Committee.
The aim of these revisions is to foster more meaningful contests, elevate competitive standards, strengthen the overall structure of both tournaments, and improve the experience for both athletes and fans. The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, set to be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, will maintain its 14-team structure but will feature a new three-stage format leading to the Finals.
The first stage, a round-robin Super Series, will involve the bottom three teams from the 14 qualified sides, with the winner progressing. Following this, the remaining 12 teams will be divided into two groups of six for Round 2, playing a round-robin format across 30 matches. The top three teams from each group, along with the next best-placed team across both groups, will advance to the Super 7 stage.
The Super 7 stage will consist of 21 matches in a round-robin format among the seven teams. The top four teams from this stage will then qualify for the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, the first-placed team will compete against the fourth-placed side, while the second and third-placed teams will face each other. Australia were the winners of the last ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2023, which took place in India.
Changes to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2028
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will continue as a 20-team event for its 2028 edition, which will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. The revised format for this tournament is designed to increase the number of teams in the second stage, thereby expanding the representation of emerging teams in the Super 10 stage.
In the Group Stage, the 20 participating teams will now be split into five groups of four, a departure from the previous format of four groups of five used in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The top two teams from each group will move on to the Super 10 stage, which will feature two groups of five playing a round-robin format across 20 matches.
The winners of each Super 10 group will secure direct qualification for the semi-finals. The remaining two semi-final berths will be determined through a new Eliminators round, comprising two matches. In this round, the second-placed teams from each Super 10 group will play against the third-placed teams from the opposing group. The victors of these Eliminators will complete the semi-final line-up, with the semi-finals and final maintaining their existing format. India secured their third title in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Qualification Pathway and Other Discussions
For the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2028, 12 teams have already qualified based on their performance in the 2026 tournament and team rankings. These teams include Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and Zimbabwe.
The remaining eight spots will be filled through a 16-team Global Qualifier competition. Eight teams that participated in the 2026 edition but did not automatically qualify will directly enter this Global Qualifier. These are Canada, Italy, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Oman, United Arab Emirates, and the United States. Scotland will receive direct entry into the Europe Regional Final due to specific circumstances regarding their 2026 participation.
The final eight spots in the Global Qualifier will be determined via regional qualifiers, with two spots each from Africa, Asia, and Europe, and one spot each from the Americas and East-Asia Pacific. The highest-placed team from each region in the Global Qualifier, along with the next three highest-placed teams overall, will qualify for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2028, subject to minimum performance criteria.
Discussions at the annual conference also touched upon other aspects of international cricket. There were proposals to reduce the 50-over World Cup from 14 teams to 12. The ICC is also considering how to best position various formats to maximize their value, especially in light of upcoming talks with broadcasters for new deals. The possibility of adding semi-finals to the World Test Championship to generate more interest was also discussed. The ICC has encouraged full members to schedule more matches between their ‘A’ sides and associate members in white-ball formats.
The new format for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2028 was endorsed by the Board following recommendations from the ICC Development and Chief Executives’ Committees. This format will undergo a final review by the ICC’s Finance & Commercial Affairs committee in November meetings for final approval.
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Source: icc-cricket.com
