Key Takeaways
- The ICC has announced a new format for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
- A Super Series round and a Super 7 stage will be introduced before the group stage and semi-finals respectively.
- Teams ranked 12th, 13th, and 14th in qualification will play in the Super Series.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced significant changes to the format of the 2027 One Day International (ODI) World Cup. The tournament, which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, will feature a new Super Series round before the group stage and a Super 7 round before the semi-finals.
According to the ICC, this format aims to make early-stage matches more meaningful and reduce the likelihood of one-sided or low-interest fixtures. The revised structure includes a Super Series round for teams ranked 12th, 13th, and 14th in qualification. Only one team from these three will advance to the main group stage.
The group stage will feature 12 teams divided into two groups of six. The top three teams from each group, along with the next best-ranked team across both groups, will qualify for the Super 7 round. In this round, seven teams will play a round-robin format, with the top four advancing to the semi-finals.
This new structure is an evolution from the earlier proposed model of two groups of seven followed by a Super 6 stage. The ICC made the decision in 2021 to expand the ODI World Cup from 10 teams to 14 after concerns were raised about one-sided matches and low-interest fixtures in major ICC tournaments.
The final tournament structure and fixtures will be confirmed at an ICC meeting scheduled for October. South Africa is expected to host most of the matches, while Zimbabwe is likely to stage around 10 games. Namibia is anticipated to host a smaller number of fixtures.
Qualification for the ODI World Cup remains unchanged. South Africa and Zimbabwe, as full-member co-hosts, will qualify automatically along with the eight highest-ranked teams in the ODI rankings by September 2026. The remaining four places will be decided through a global qualifier featuring 10 teams.
The qualifier is expected to take place in December 2026 or January 2027, and Namibia or South Africa may host it. The qualification process aims to ensure that the best teams compete for the coveted spots in the tournament.
