Cricket World Cup 2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia to host 14-team ODI event

Explainer: The 2027 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup is the 14th edition of the quadrennial ODI championship organised by the International Cricket Council. It will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia from October 2 to November 21, 2027.

When and where is it?

The 2027 Cricket World Cup will be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia from October 2 to November 21, according to cricketnews.com. South Africa and Zimbabwe previously co-hosted in 2003, while Namibia hosts for the first time. Namibia will stage six World Cup matches at the Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek, three in the group stage and three in the Super Series, whether their own team is involved.

Who is taking part?

Fourteen teams will compete, up from 10 in the previous two editions, Yahoo reported. South Africa and Zimbabwe have secured automatic qualification as hosts.

The next eight highest-ranked teams in the ICC men's ODI rankings as they stand in March 2027 will progress straight into the main tournament. If South Africa remains in the top eight independently of host status, the ninth-ranked side claims direct qualification instead.

The remaining four places will be decided through the ODI World Cup Qualifier scheduled for summer 2027.

How does it work?

The ICC explained the format in three rounds. Round 1 is a Super Series featuring the three lowest-ranked of the 14 qualified teams in a round-robin format. The team that finishes top of the Super Series will progress to the next stage of the competition.

Round 2 features 12 teams competing across 30 matches. The teams will be divided into two groups of six and play in a round-robin format.

The top three teams from each group, along with the next best-placed team across both groups, will advance to the Super 7 stage. The Super 7 stage will consist of 21 round-robin matches, with the top four teams progressing to the semi-finals.

In the semi-finals, the team finishing first in the Super 7 standings will face the fourth-placed side, while the second-placed team will take on the third-placed team.

Why it matters

The ICC describes the Cricket World Cup as one of the world's most viewed sporting events and the flagship event of the international cricket calendar. The 2027 edition expands to 14 teams, giving more associate nations a route to the showpiece.

What happens next

The Qualifier Play-off is an eight-team single round-robin in Kathmandu from December 4 to 21, 2026, with 28 matches across the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur and the Mulpani grounds. The eight teams are: Each team plays the other seven once.

The top four advance to the 2027 CWC Qualifier. The bottom four are out of the World Cup cycle. The tournament begins on December 4, so no matches have been played yet.

Teams reported as qualified for the 2027 ODI World Cup

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Sources

• Wikipedia: 2027 Cricket World Cup (background)

• cricketnews.com

• youtube.com

• icc-cricket.com

• sports.yahoo.com

• Photo: Spudgun67, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)