ICC Unveils Big Format Changes for ODI and T20 World Cups

Cricket fans, get ready for a new look. The ICC has announced major changes to the formats of both the Men’s ODI World Cup and the T20 World Cup. The goal? More meaningful matches, higher competition, and a better experience for everyone.

The decisions were made during the ICC’s annual meetings in Edinburgh. The changes will come into effect from the next editions of both tournaments.

ODI World Cup

The ODI World Cup will now have 14 teams, up from 10 in the last two editions. The tournament will be played in four rounds:

Round 1: The bottom three teams (12, 13, and 14) will play each other. The winner moves to Round 2.

Round 2: The 12 remaining teams will be split into two groups of six. The top three from each group, plus the next best team overall, move to the next stage.

Super 7: A round-robin stage with seven teams. This replaces the old Super 6.

Semi-finals: The top four from the Super 7 will qualify. The semis will follow the 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3 format.

T20 World Cup

The T20 World Cup will now have 20 teams, but the second stage is expanding from 8 to 10 teams.

Group Stage: 20 teams will be divided into five groups of four (instead of four groups of five). The top two from each group will advance.

Super 10: This replaces the Super 8. Two groups of five teams will play each other.

Eliminators: The top team from each Super 10 group goes straight to the semi-finals. Teams placed second and third in opposite groups will play Eliminator matches to decide the remaining semi-final spots.

Semi-finals and Final: Then it’s straight to the semis and the big final.

Qualification for 2028 T20 World Cup

There are changes to the qualification pathway too. Scotland, who came in late for the 2026 edition, will get direct entry into the Europe Regional Final. Other teams that played in 2026 but did not qualify directly for 2028 will go through a Global Qualifier. The remaining spots will be filled through regional qualifiers across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and East Asia-Pacific.

The changes have been recommended by the ICC’s Development and Chief Executives’ Committee and endorsed by the ICC. However, they will only be finally approved after a review by the Finance & Commercial Affairs Committee in November this year.

For now, cricket fans have plenty to look forward to.

                                               

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