The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 is poised to be jointly hosted by South Africa and Zimbabwe, marking their second collaboration since the 2003 edition. Namibia is set to debut as a host nation, expanding the tournament to 14 participating teams, following the format used in 2003. Scheduled for October and November 2027, this 14th edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup in One Day International (ODI) cricket will span across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

Team Qualifications

Regarding team qualification, South Africa and Zimbabwe, serving as co-hosts, secure automatic qualifications. The top eight teams in the ICC ODI rankings gain direct qualification, while the remaining four spots will be determined through global qualifier tournaments. Despite Namibia co-hosting, their participation isn’t assured due to non-membership status, requiring them to earn qualification like any other non-full ICC member.

Format

The competition format will involve two groups of seven teams each. The top three teams from each group will progress to the Super Six stage, leading to semi-finals and a final to determine the ultimate winner. Teams will play each other once in the group stage, like in the 2003 World Cup format. Additionally, the 2027 edition reintroduces a modified version of the points carry forward (PCF) system, previously used in 1999. Points carried forward from the initial pool stage will give each team two points for a win over a Super Six qualified team, and one for a win over an eliminated side.

The locations and dates for the 2027 edition’s venues remain unknown as of now, but there’s a likelihood that the venues will resemble those from the 2003 edition. During the 2003 tournament, matches were spread across 12 stadiums in South Africa, two in Zimbabwe, and one in Kenya.

Coming to the recently concluded ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, Australia staged a remarkable comeback from their tournament’s initial woes clinching a dominant victory over the favourites- India, securing their sixth ODI World Cup title. Travis Head’s stunning century played a crucial role in this triumph on Indian soil, placing Australia four titles ahead of any other nation on cricket’s global stage.