DUBAI – The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved major changes to the formats of the Men’s ODI World Cup and Men’s T20 World Cup, aiming to make every stage of the tournaments more competitive and meaningful.
According to the ICC, the 14-team Men’s ODI World Cup will now feature a three-stage format. Under the new system, the teams ranked 12th, 13th and 14th will compete in a Super Series at the start of the tournament, with the winner advancing to the second stage.
The second stage will consist of two groups of six teams each. The top three teams from each group, along with the highest-ranked remaining team, will qualify for the Super 7 stage.
In the Super 7 stage, all seven teams will play against each other in a round-robin format, with the top four advancing to the semi-finals. The ICC said the new structure is designed to ensure every match carries greater significance from the opening game.
Meanwhile, the ICC has also approved replacing the Super 8 stage in the 20-team Men’s T20 World Cup with a Super 10 phase.
Under the revised format, the tournament will begin with five groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super 10 stage.
In the Super 10 phase, the teams finishing first in each of the two groups will qualify directly for the semi-finals, while the teams placed second and third will compete in eliminator matches for the remaining two semi-final spots.
The ICC Board also gave in-principle approval to a new 16-team global T20 tournament for Associate Member nations, which will be held before the Men’s T20 World Cup. Final approval for the event is expected in November.
In addition, the ICC approved a new qualification pathway for the 2028 Men’s T20 World Cup. Teams that fail to qualify directly through the 2026 T20 World Cup will compete in a Global Qualifier, while additional teams from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the East Asia-Pacific region will secure places in the tournament through regional qualifying events.
