2027 Cricket World Cup

2027 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup

Dates	October – November 2027
Administrator(s)	International Cricket Council
Cricket format	One Day International
Tournament format(s)	Group stage, Super 6s and Knockout stage
Host(s)	South Africa Zimbabwe Namibia
Participants	14
Matches	54
← 2023 2031 →

The 2027 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup will be the 14th edition of the Cricket World Cup, the quadrennial international men's Cricket championship contested by the national teams of the member associations of ICC. It is scheduled to be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia in October and November 2027. This will be the second time that South Africa and Zimbabwe will have co-hosted the tournament, after the 2003 edition, while Namibia will host it for the first time.

Background

The Cricket World Cup is a quadrennial One Day International tournament played between men's national cricket teams, organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The tournament is held every four years, and was first played in 1975 in England. The last tournament, held in 2023 in India was contested by 10 teams. Australia are the defending champions, having defeated India in the final of the previous edition.

In November 2021, the ICC announced that the 2027 Cricket World Cup will be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. ^[1]

Format

The competition will use two groups of seven teams, with the top three teams in each group progressing to a Super Six stage, followed by semi-finals and a final. At this stage, each team in a group will play all three sides in the same group whom they have not played. ^{[2] [3] [4]} The format was previously used in the 2003 edition. However, a modified version of points carried forward (PCF) from 1999 edition will be re-introduced in the 2027 edition. ^[5]

Preparations

In preparation for the 2027 Cricket World Cup, a 15-member organising committee of the tournament was finalised in August 2025. Trevor Manuel was named chair. ^[6] Former Deputy President of South Africa, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka was also named as one of the seven independent directors of the tournament. ^[7]

Qualification

Main article: 2027 Cricket World Cup qualification

Hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe will qualify automatically for the tournament, along with the top eight teams in the ICC ODI rankings as of 31 March 2027. ^[8] The remaining four places will be decided through qualifying tournaments. ^[8] Although Namibia will co-host the competition for the first time, they will not be guaranteed a spot because they are not a full ICC member and, as a result, will have to go through the standard qualification pathway. ^[9]

Venues

Cricket South Africa confirmed eight shortlisted venues in April 2024. ^{[10] [11] [12]} In August 2025, it was announced that 44 matches would be hosted by South Africa across the eight venues, while Zimbabwe and Namibia would host the remaining 10 matches. ^[6]

Venues in South Africa Bloemfontein Cape Town Centurion Durban East London Gqeberha Johannesburg Paarl Bloemfontein Cape Town Centurion Mangaung Oval Newlands Cricket Ground Centurion Park Capacity: 20,000 Capacity: 25,000 Capacity: 22,000 Matches: TBA Matches: TBA Matches: TBA Durban East London Gqeberha Kingsmead Cricket Ground Buffalo Park St George's Park Capacity: 25,000 Capacity: 16,000 Capacity: 19,000 Matches: TBA Matches: TBA Matches: TBA Johannesburg Paarl Wanderers Stadium Boland Park Capacity: 34,000 Capacity: 10,000 Matches: TBA Matches: TBA

Venues in Namibia Windhoek Windhoek Namibia Cricket Ground United Ground Wanderers Cricket Ground Capacity: 7,000 Capacity: 3,000 Capacity: Matches: TBA Matches: TBA Matches: TBA Venues in Zimbabwe Bulawayo Harare Bulawayo Harare Queens Sports Club Harare Sports Club Capacity: 12,500 Capacity: 10,000 Matches: TBA Matches: TBA

References

1. "USA to stage T20 World Cup: 2024–2031 ICC Men's tournament hosts confirmed". t20worldcup.com. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
2. "ICC announces expansion of global events". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
3. "Cricket World Cup to revert to 14 teams from 2027". The Hindu. 1 June 2021. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 19 February 2023.
4. "The Old Super Six Format Returns, Look At Changed ICC Cricket World Cup Rules". news.abplive.com. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
5. "A matter of formats - how the men's ODI World Cup has changed over the years". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
6. "Trevor Manuel appointed chair of 2027 ICC World Cup organising committee". The Statesman. 21 August 2025. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
7. "ODI World Cup 2027 Organising Committee Revealed: Trevor Manuel To Lead 15-Member Team". Outlook. 21 August 2025. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
8. "2025 Champions Trophy qualification at stake during ODI World Cup". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
9. "ICC announces qualification pathway for 2027 World Cup | News". www.cricket.com. 13 November 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
10. "Wanderers, Kingsmead, Newlands confirmed as venues for 2027 ODI World Cup: Report". Firstpost. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
11. "ODI World Cup 2027: Wanderers, Kingsmead, Newlands among eight SA venues". Business Standard. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
12. "New Cricket World Cup 2027 venue hosts thrilling first international fixture". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 20 March 2025.