ICC announces major format overhauls for ODI and T20 World Cups
By Nawaz Gohar ; The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced a major restructuring of the formats for both the Men’s One Day International (ODI) and T20 World Cups.
The landmark changes are designed to elevate competition, maximize high-stakes matches, and drastically reduce the number of inconsequential “dead rubber” fixtures in future global tournaments.
The 2027 ODI World Cup, to be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, will expand to 14 teams. This maintains the expansion decision made in June 2021, reversing the 10-team single-group formats utilized in the 2019 and 2023 editions.
However, the ICC has introduced a highly competitive qualifying and progression structure to keep audiences engaged.
The New ‘Super Series’ & Group Stage Structure
The Preliminary ‘Super Series’: The bottom three seeded teams (12th, 13th, and 14th) will face off in a preliminary “Super Series” round. Only the top-performing team from this tri-series will advance to the main group stage.
The Main Group Stage: The remaining 12 teams will be split into two groups of six. A total of 30 matches will be played in this round.
The ‘Super 7’ Phase: The top three teams from each group, along with the next best-performing team across both groups, will progress to a new seven-team “Super 7” stage.
The Knockouts: The Super 7 stage will follow a round-robin format, with the top four teams qualifying directly for the semifinals.
ICC Statement: “The primary objective of this new format is to ensure that every single match carries tournament-altering weight, keeping competitive intensity alive right up to the knockout stages.”
A total of 10 teams will qualify directly for the main event, while the remaining four spots will be contested via a global qualifier.
Direct Qualifiers (10 Teams): Co-hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe, plus the top 8 teams in the ICC ODI Rankings as of September 2026. (Note: Co-host Namibia does not get direct entry and must qualify).
Global Qualifier (4 Spots): A 10-team global tournament will decide the final four spots. This qualifier will feature the next 2 highest-ranked teams, 4 teams from World Cup Cricket League 2, and 4 teams from the Qualifier Play-offs.
Timeline & Venue: The Global Qualifier is tentatively scheduled for December 2026 or January 2027, likely to be hosted in Namibia or South Africa.
2028 T20 World Cup: Shift to ‘Super 10’ and Quarter-Final Style Eliminators: The ICC has also heavily modified the Men’s T20 World Cup format, set to debut at the 2028 edition in Australia and New Zealand. While the tournament will still feature 20 teams playing 55 matches overall, the distribution of games has been radically altered to favor high-octane second-round clashes.
Key Structural Adjustments: Shrinking the First Round: First-round group matches have been slashed from 40 to 30.
Expanding the Second Round: Second-round fixtures have been increased from 12 to 20 matches.
Introduction of ‘Super 10’: The first round will divide 20 teams into five groups of four. The top two teams from each group will advance to a newly formed “Super 10” stage, consisting of two groups of five.
The Knockout Path & Eliminators: The top team from each Super 10 group will qualify directly for the semifinals.
The teams finishing 2nd and 3rd in opposite groups will play cross-pool “Eliminator” matches (effectively acting as quarter-finals) to decide the remaining two semifinalists.
Direct Entrants: Australia (co-host), New Zealand (co-host), England, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Ireland.
Global Qualifier: The remaining 8 spots will be determined via a Global Qualifier. Aspiring nations including Canada, Italy, Namibia, Nepal, the Netherlands, Oman, the UAE, and the USA will compete.
Regional Spots: Regional qualifiers will send two teams each from Africa, Asia, and Europe, and one team each from the Americas and East Asia-Pacific to the Global Qualifier.
Scotland’s Status: The ICC clarified that Scotland (who replaced Bangladesh in the 2026 T20 World Cup) will not receive direct entry to the Global Qualifier and must earn their spot through the Europe Regional Finals.
