2027 ODI World Cup Qualification: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has set September 30, 2026, as the cut-off date for qualification for the 2027 ODI World Cup. A total of 14 teams will participate in the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. The tournament is scheduled to take place from October 4 to November 21.
ODI World Cup 2027: India, England Among First 8 Teams to Qualify
South Africa and Zimbabwe have secured direct qualification as hosts. Under the rules, the host nations qualify automatically, while the remaining eight spots are determined by ODI rankings. Apart from South Africa and Zimbabwe, the top eight teams in the ODI rankings will qualify. Meanwhile, the final four teams will have to go through a qualification tournament.
8 Teams Have Already Qualified
South Africa, Zimbabwe, India, New Zealand, Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and England have qualified for the 2027 ODI World Cup. If Afghanistan and Bangladesh remain in the eighth and ninth positions in the ODI rankings by September 30, 2026, they will secure their spots in the World Cup.
In such a scenario, the two-time world champions, West Indies, would miss out on direct qualification and would have to attempt to reach the World Cup via the qualification tournament. A qualification stage involving 36 teams to determine the final four participants has already commenced in 2024.
World Cup to be Played in a New Format
A total of 14 teams will participate in this ODI World Cup. A 'Super Series' will be played in a round-robin format among the three lowest-ranked teams that qualify. The best-performing team in this Super Series will advance, while the other two teams will be eliminated. Subsequently, the 12 teams will be divided into two groups of six.
The top three teams from each group will advance to the 'Super-7' stage, while the fourth-best team across the two groups will secure the final spot in the Super-7. The top four teams from the Super-7 stage will clash in the semi-finals.
