ICC announce major revamp of ODI and T20 World Cup formats

The landscape of global cricket tournaments is set for a major transformation after the International Cricket Council (ICC) approved sweeping changes to the formats of the men’s ODI World Cup and T20 World Cup during its annual Board meetings in Edinburgh.

The Board also finalised a revamped qualification pathway for the 2028 Men’s T20 World Cup and backed plans for a new 16-team global tournament exclusively for associate nations.

While the 50-over World Cup will continue to feature 14 teams, the ICC has introduced a three-stage format designed to make every match carry greater significance. According to a statement from the ICC, it said, 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.

Under the revised structure, the tournament will begin with a Super Series, where the teams ranked 12th, 13th and 14th in qualification will compete in a round-robin. Only the winner will progress to the main tournament.

That team will join the other 11 qualified nations in the second phase, where two groups of six teams will play 30 matches. The top three teams from each group, along with the next best-placed team across both groups, will advance to the newly created Super 7 stage.

The Super 7 will feature a single round-robin league of 21 matches, with all seven teams playing each other once. The top four sides will then qualify for the semi-finals, where the first-placed team will face the fourth-placed side and the second-placed team will take on the third before the winners meet in the final.

The previous edition followed a different structure, with two groups of seven teams feeding into a Super Six stage before the semi-finals.

“The increased consequence and enhanced competitive intensity promises to enhance the overall experience for fans while continuing to provide emerging teams with the opportunity to compete on cricket’s biggest stage,” the ICC added.

The ICC also approved significant changes to the Men’s T20 World Cup while retaining its 20-team field.

Instead of four groups of five teams, the opening round will now feature five groups of four, reducing the number of first-round matches from 40 to 30. The top two teams from each group will advance to a newly introduced Super 10 stage.

The 10 qualifying teams will then be split into two groups of five. The winner of each group will earn a direct place in the semi-finals.

To add further significance to the closing stages of the Super 10, the ICC has introduced an eliminator round. The second-placed team in each group will face the third-placed team from the opposite group, with the two winners completing the four-team semi-final lineup.

Previously, the tournament featured a Super Eights stage comprising two groups of four, with the top two teams from each group advancing directly to the semi-finals.

The ICC Board also approved the qualification process for the 2028 Men’s T20 World Cup.

Scotland has been granted direct entry into the Europe Regional Final in recognition of what the ICC described as the exceptional circumstances surrounding its participation in the 2026 tournament.

All other teams that played in the 2026 T20 World Cup but did not secure automatic qualification for 2028 will advance directly to the Global Qualifier.

The remaining eight Global Qualifier spots will come through regional events, with Africa, Asia and Europe each providing two teams, while the Americas and East Asia-Pacific regions will each contribute one.

From the Global Qualifier, the highest-finishing team from each region, along with the next three best-performing teams overall, will qualify for the 2028 World Cup, subject to meeting the ICC’s minimum performance standards.

In another significant move, the ICC endorsed a proposal to introduce a standalone 16-team global tournament for associate member nations as a pathway to the T20 World Cup.

The competition aims to provide emerging cricket nations with more regular high-quality international cricket while strengthening the standard of the associate game. It is also expected to become a marquee event for associate members.

The proposal, however, is yet to receive final approval. It will now be reviewed by the ICC’s Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee before returning to the Board for final consideration at its November meetings.