New Delhi, July 15 -- The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved major changes to the formats of the 2027 ODI World Cup and the 2028 T20 World Cup, introducing additional competition stages and revised qualification pathways aimed at making every phase of the tournaments more significant. The decisions were taken at the ICC Annual Conference on Wednesday, with the governing body stating that the changes are designed to create "greater context and consequence" from the opening matches through to the finals.
The 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa will feature 14 teams, an increase from the 10-team tournament held in the previous edition. While the expansion had already been confirmed, the ICC has now introduced a three-stage competition before the knockout rounds.
According to the ICC, "the revised format will entail a three-stage competition leading to the Finals, which creates greater context, competitiveness and consequence during the event, ensuring meaningful competition from the opening match through to the Finals."
Under the new structure, the teams qualifying in positions 12th to 14th will first compete in a Super Series round. The winner of that stage will join the remaining teams in the next phase, where six teams will be split into two groups.
The top three teams from each group, along with the next highest-placed team across both groups, will progress to a newly introduced Super 7 stage instead of the previously planned Super 6. From there, the top four teams will qualify for the semifinals before the finalists are decided.
The ICC said the revised system would increase the importance of every match while continuing to provide opportunities for developing cricket nations.
"The increased consequence and enhanced competitive intensity promise to enhance the overall experience for fans while continuing to provide emerging teams with the opportunity to compete on cricket's biggest stage," the governing body said.
Qualification for the ODI World Cup has also been outlined. Ten teams will earn automatic places in the tournament. Co-hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe qualify automatically as full members, while fellow co-host Namibia, an associate member, will not receive direct qualification. The remaining automatic places will go to the eight highest-ranked teams in the ODI rankings, with the final four spots to be decided through a global qualifying tournament.
The ICC has also overhauled the format for the 2028 T20 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand. The second stage of the tournament will expand from the Super 8 to a Super 10.
The event will begin with five groups of four teams each, with the top two sides from every group advancing to the Super 10 phase.
Unlike the previous format, where the top two teams from each Super 8 group reached the semifinals, only the group winners in the Super 10 will qualify directly for the last four. Teams finishing second in each group will face the third-placed side from the opposite group in eliminator matches, adding another knockout step before the semifinals.
"Encouraged by the performance of emerging teams in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, the ICC has decided to increase the number of teams competing in the second stage of the tournament from 8 to 10," the ICC said.
The qualification pathway has also been revised. Scotland will move directly into the Europe Regional Final after replacing Bangladesh at short notice during the 2026 T20 World Cup. Teams from the 2026 edition that did not secure automatic qualification will advance to the Global Qualifier.
The remaining eight places in the Global Qualifier will come through regional qualification, with two teams each from Africa, Asia and Europe, and one each from the Americas and East Asia-Pacific.
The highest-ranked team from each region at the Global Qualifier, along with the next three best teams overall, will qualify for the 2028 T20 World Cup.
The ICC said the new tournament structures have been endorsed by its Board following recommendations from the Development and Chief Executives' Committees. Final approval will be considered after a review by the Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee at the Board's November meetings.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.