ICC unveils new formats for 2027 ODI and 2028 T20 World Cups
New T20 World Cup Format
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has introduced significant format changes for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2028. The tournament will continue to feature 20 teams, but the structure of the group stage and subsequent rounds has been revised. The 20 participating teams will now be divided into five groups of four, a change 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 of these initial groups will progress to the Super 10 stage.
The Super 10 round will consist of two groups, each comprising five teams, playing in a round-robin format. 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. In this phase, the second-placed teams from each Super 10 group will compete against the third-placed teams from the opposite group. The victors of these Eliminators will complete the semi-final lineup, with the semi-finals and final maintaining their existing format.
Twelve teams have already secured their places for the 2028 T20 World Cup. These teams qualified based on their performances in the 2026 T20 World Cup and their current team rankings. The nations that have automatically qualified are Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and Zimbabwe.
Qualification Pathway for 2028
The ICC has also confirmed an updated qualification pathway for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2028. Scotland will advance directly to the Europe Regional Final, acknowledging the circumstances surrounding its participation in the 2026 tournament, where it replaced Bangladesh. Other teams that competed in the 2026 T20 World Cup but did not achieve automatic qualification for 2028 will proceed directly to the Global Qualifier.
These teams include Canada, Italy, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Oman, United Arab Emirates, and the United States. The remaining eight spots in the Global Qualifier will be filled through regional qualification tournaments. Two teams will qualify from Africa, two from Asia, and two from Europe. Additionally, one team will qualify from the Americas region and one from the East Asia-Pacific region.
From the Global Qualifier, the highest-placed team from each region will secure a spot in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2028. These teams will be joined by the next three highest-placed teams overall from the Global Qualifier, provided they meet minimum performance criteria. The new tournament format has received endorsement from the ICC Board, following recommendations from the ICC Development Committee and the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee. Final approval is pending a review by the ICC Finance & Commercial Affairs Committee at its November meetings.
Changes to ODI World Cup Format
The ICC has also announced significant adjustments to the format of the 2027 ODI World Cup. This tournament will feature 14 teams and will now incorporate a new three-stage structure, including a Super Series and a Super 7 stage, aiming to increase competition and provide more impactful matches. The Super Series will involve three teams, with one team advancing to a subsequent round comprising six teams divided into two groups.
The Super 7 stage will see four teams progress to the semi-finals, replacing the previously planned Super 6. The 2027 ODI World Cup will be a three-stage competition leading to the finals. The ICC stated that this revised format is designed to create greater context, competitiveness, and consequence throughout the event, ensuring meaningful competition from the opening match to the finals.
The teams qualifying from 12th to 14th for the tournament will participate in the Super Series round, with the top finisher moving to the second round. This second round will feature six teams split into two groups. The top three teams from each group, along with the next highest-placed team across both groups, will qualify for the Super 7 stage. The four best-placed teams from the Super 7 stage will then advance to the semi-finals.
The 2027 ODI World Cup will include 10 automatic qualifiers. South Africa and Zimbabwe, as co-hosts and full members, will automatically qualify. Namibia, the third co-host, being an associate member, has not received automatic qualification. The remaining eight automatic qualification spots will go to the highest-ranked teams on the ODI rankings. The final four teams will be determined through a Global Qualifier.
The decisions regarding these format changes were made at the ICC Annual Conference in Edinburgh.
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Source: icc-cricket.com
