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The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved a few important changes to the formats of the 2027 ODI World Cup and the 2028 T20 World Cup. The decisions were taken during the ICC Annual Conference with the aim of making every match more meaningful and increasing the competition throughout the tournaments.
The number of teams in both events remains the same, but the qualification and tournament structures have been tweaked to make the road to the knockout stage more challenging.
ODI World Cup 2027: New Format Explained
The 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, will still feature 14 teams. However, the tournament will now have three different stages before the final.
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Stage 1: Super Series
The tournament will begin with the Super Series, where the 14 teams will be divided into groups of three. Only the top team from each group will move directly to the next stage.
Stage 2: Super 6
The teams that qualify will then be split into two groups of three in the Super 6 stage.
The top three teams from each group, along with the best fourth-placed team across both groups, will qualify for the next round.
Earlier, the plan was to have a Super 6 stage before the semi-finals. Now, the ICC has expanded it into a Super 7, giving one more team a chance to stay alive in the tournament.
Stage 3: Super 7
Seven teams will compete in the Super 7 stage.
The top four teams at the end of this round will qualify for the semi-finals, followed by the final.
According to the ICC, this format ensures that every game has greater importance from the opening match itself and reduces the number of dead rubbers later in the tournament.
T20 World Cup 2028: Super 10 Replaces Super 8
The 2028 T20 World Cup, to be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, will also see a major format change.
Instead of the Super 8, the tournament will now feature a Super 10 stage.
Group Stage
The tournament will start with 20 teams divided into five groups of four teams each.
The top two teams from every group will qualify for the Super 10.
Super 10 Stage
The 10 qualified teams will be divided into two groups of five.
Here’s where the format changes significantly:
* The team finishing first in each group will qualify directly for the semi-finals.
* The second-placed team from one group will face the third-placed team from the other group in an Eliminator.
* The winners of those Eliminators will complete the semi-final line-up.
This change means teams cannot simply finish in the top two. Finishing first now carries a much bigger advantage.
The ICC said the decision was influenced by the impressive performances of several emerging teams during the 2026 T20 World Cup.
T20 World Cup 2028 Qualification Explained
The ICC has also finalised the qualification pathway for the tournament.
Scotland gets direct entry to Europe Regional Final. Scotland has been given direct entry into the Europe Regional Final because it was called into the 2026 T20 World Cup at the last moment after Bangladesh withdrew.
Teams from 2026 World Cup
The teams that played in the 2026 T20 World Cup but failed to qualify automatically for the 2028 edition will go straight into the Global Qualifier.
Final Approval Still Pending
While the ICC Board has approved these format changes in principle, the new qualification model will still be reviewed by the ICC’s Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee during its November meetings before receiving final confirmation.
The ICC believes these changes will make both World Cups more competitive, reward consistent performances and ensure that every match has a bigger impact on the race for the knockout stage.