The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved significant changes to the formats of two of its biggest global tournaments—the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2028. The decisions were taken during the ICC Annual General Meeting held in Edinburgh, where the governing body cleared a series of recommendations aimed at making both competitions more competitive, engaging, and rewarding for teams as well as fans.
While the number of participating teams remains unchanged, the structure of both tournaments has been redesigned. The new formats introduce additional knockout opportunities, a fresh qualification pathway, and more meaningful matches throughout the competition. The ICC believes these changes will improve the quality of contests while giving emerging cricket nations greater opportunities to progress deeper into global events.
Here is a complete breakdown of everything that is changing.
Why The ICC Has Changed The Tournament Formats
The revised formats were approved by the ICC Board after recommendations from the Chief Executives’ Committee, which includes representatives from both Full Members and Associate Members. According to the ICC, the objective behind the changes is to create more meaningful contests, raise the overall competitive standard of the tournaments, strengthen their competitive structure, and provide a better experience for players, broadcasters, and cricket fans around the world.
Rather than simply increasing the number of matches, the governing body has focused on ensuring that every stage of the competition carries greater significance. The changes will come into effect from the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2028.
New Format For ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027
The 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, will continue to feature 14 teams. However, the tournament will now follow a completely new three-stage structure before the knockout rounds.
The opening stage introduces a Super Series involving the bottom three-ranked teams among the 14 qualified nations. These teams will compete in a round-robin format, with only the winner advancing further in the tournament.
The second stage will feature 12 teams divided into two groups of six. Every team will play all other teams in its group, resulting in 30 matches. The top three teams from each group will qualify automatically for the next round, while the best remaining team across both groups will also advance.
That will lead to the newly introduced Super 7 stage. Here, the seven remaining teams will once again compete in a round-robin format across 21 matches. The top four teams at the end of this stage will qualify for the semi-finals.
The semi-final fixtures will reward teams finishing higher in the standings. The team finishing first will face the fourth-placed side, while the second and third-placed teams will meet in the other semi-final before the winners contest the final. The ICC believes this structure will ensure stronger teams are consistently tested while reducing the number of less meaningful league-stage matches.
ICC Revamps T20 World Cup 2028
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2028, to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, will continue to feature 20 teams. However, the tournament format has undergone a significant overhaul. Unlike the previous edition, where four groups of five teams were used, the 2028 tournament will now begin with five groups comprising four teams each. The top two teams from every group will qualify for the next stage, creating a Super 10 instead of the earlier Super 8 format.
The Super 10 stage will consist of two groups of five teams each. Every side will play all the other teams in its group, with the table toppers qualifying directly for the semi-finals. The remaining semi-final places will now be decided through a brand-new Eliminators stage. Under this format, the second-placed team from one Super 10 group will face the third-placed team from the opposite group. The same will happen in the other Eliminator.
The winners of these two Eliminator matches will join the two group winners in the semi-finals. The semi-finals and final themselves will continue under the existing knockout format. The ICC believes this revised structure provides more teams with realistic opportunities to reach the last four while ensuring every Super 10 match carries greater importance.
Qualification Scenario For T20 World Cup 2028
The ICC also confirmed the qualification process for the 2028 T20 World Cup. Twelve teams have already secured direct qualification based on their performances in the 2026 T20 World Cup and the ICC team rankings.
These teams are Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and Zimbabwe. The remaining eight places will be decided through a 16-team Global Qualifier.
Eight teams that participated in the 2026 tournament but missed direct qualification will automatically enter the Global Qualifier. These teams are Canada, Italy, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Oman, United Arab Emirates, and the United States.
Scotland has received a special exemption and will progress directly to the Europe Regional Final because of exceptional circumstances related to the 2026 qualification process. The remaining eight teams in the Global Qualifier will emerge through regional qualification events.
Africa, Asia, and Europe will each receive two qualification places, while the Americas and East Asia-Pacific regions will receive one place each. At the Global Qualifier, the highest-ranked team from each region, along with the next three best-performing teams overall, will qualify for the 2028 T20 World Cup, subject to the ICC’s minimum performance criteria.
ICC Also Approves A New Global Tournament
Apart from revising the World Cup formats, the ICC Board has also endorsed plans for a brand-new marquee tournament. The proposal has already been recommended by the ICC Development Committee and the Chief Executives’ Committee.
However, the tournament will receive final approval only after it is reviewed by the ICC’s Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee during the November Board meetings. Further details regarding the competition are expected later this year.
Conclusion
The ICC’s latest decisions mark one of the biggest structural overhauls of its flagship tournaments in recent years. While the number of participating teams remains unchanged, both the ODI World Cup and the T20 World Cup will feature new competition structures designed to increase competitiveness and create more meaningful matches throughout the tournaments.
With the introduction of the Super 7 in the 2027 ODI World Cup, the Super 10 and Eliminators in the 2028 T20 World Cup, along with an updated qualification pathway, the ICC hopes to strike a balance between rewarding consistent performances and giving emerging cricket nations more opportunities to shine on the biggest stage. The changes promise a fresh look for international cricket’s biggest events and are likely to make future World Cups even more competitive for players and fans alike.
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