The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the format for the 2027 World Cup. With this announcement, the sport's governing body has dismissed media reports suggesting that the number of teams in the tournament would be reduced from 14 to 12. It is now confirmed that 14 teams will participate in the tournament.
ICC makes major changes to the T20 World Cup; a three-stage format for the ODI World Cup
The ICC has stated that 14 teams will take part in the 2027 World Cup and that the tournament will be played across three rounds. Prior to this announcement, there was speculation that the 14 participating teams would be divided into two groups, but the ICC has made some changes to that plan.
The 2027 World Cup will be played in three rounds—
The ICC has announced that a decision to change the World Cup format was made during the annual general meeting held in Edinburgh. This decision applies to both the 2027 World Cup and the 2028 T20 World Cup. The 2027 World Cup, to be hosted by South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe, will be played in three rounds.
In the first round, the teams finishing in 11th, 12th, and 13th place will play a 'Super Series' against each other. The top-ranked team from this series will qualify for the second round. The second round will feature 12 teams divided into two groups; the top three teams from this stage will qualify for the 'Super-7' (third round). In the third round, seven teams will compete in a round-robin format, and the top four teams will qualify for the semi-finals.
When and where will the 2027 World Cup be played?
The 2027 World Cup will be played across three countries: South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. The tournament will take place in October and November. This is the first time the ICC has adopted this format for the World Cup.
What has changed—
Round 1/Pre-stage
- Previous: None (all teams entered the group stage directly).
- New: A Super Series round-robin among the bottom 3 teams; only the winning team advances.
Group Stage—
- Previous: Two groups of 7 teams each (42 matches in total).
- New: Two groups of 6 teams each (30 matches in total).
Second Round—
- Previous: Super Six (two groups of three teams each, 9 matches).
- New: Super 7 (a single round-robin involving 7 teams, 21 matches).
Knockout-
- Previous: The top two teams from each Super Six group advanced to the semi-finals.
- New: The top four teams from the combined Super 7 league table will advance to the semi-finals.
Changes for the T20 World Cup too—
Australia and New Zealand will co-host the 2028 T20 World Cup. The ICC has retained the 20-team format for this upcoming World Cup. However, while the 2026 tournament featured a Super-8 stage, the 2028 tournament will have a Super-10 stage; this means that 10 teams will participate in the second round.
