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The ICC has unveiled a major revamp of its men’s global tournaments, introducing new formats for the ODI and T20 World Cups, a revised qualification pathway and a proposed associate nations event to boost competition and global participation.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved a comprehensive overhaul of its men’s global tournament structure, introducing new formats for the men’s ODI World Cup and men’s T20 World Cup to make every match more competitive and meaningful.
The decisions, taken at the ICC Board’s annual meetings in Edinburgh, also include a revised qualification pathway for the 2028 T20 World Cup and the endorsement of a proposed 16-team global tournament for associate member nations.
While the 50-over World Cup will continue to feature 14 teams, the tournament will adopt a new three-stage competition format intended to ensure meaningful contests from the opening match through to the final.
“The Board approved an evolved competition format for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup that continues to feature 14 participating teams while delivering a more compelling tournament for athletes and fans,” an ICC press release said.
Under the revised structure, the tournament will begin with a new “Super Series” involving the teams ranked 12th, 13th and 14th in qualification.
These three teams will compete in a round-robin format, with only the winner advancing to the next stage.
The successful team will then join the remaining 11 qualified nations in the second phase, where two groups of six teams will contest 30 matches.
The top three teams from each group, along with the next highest-placed team across both groups, will qualify for the newly introduced Super 7 stage.
