ICC: The ICC has made major changes for the upcoming 2027 ODI World Cup and 2028 T20 World Cup. The ODI World Cup will now feature 14 teams.

ICC Format Change for World Cup 2027: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has made a major change to the format of the 2027 ODI World Cup, to be played next year. The ICC stated in a release that these changes were approved at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Edinburgh.

14 teams will participate in the upcoming World Cup. A 'Super Series' will be held for the final three teams. There will also be three rounds to reach the final. So let's understand in detail all the changes regarding the ODI World Cup.

2027 ODI World Cup to be held in three countries, 14 teams to participate

The ICC announced that the upcoming World Cup will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Teams will have to go through three rounds to reach the final.

Round 1, Super Series

The bottom three teams from the 14 qualifying teams will play a round-robin "Super Series." The winner of this series will advance to the next round.

Round 2 (30 matches)

The remaining 12 teams will be divided into two groups of six each. Each group will play matches in a round-robin format. The top three teams from each group and the next best-ranked team from each group will advance to the Super 7 stage.

Round 3, Super 7 stage (21 matches)

In this stage, seven teams will play in a round-robin format, with the top four teams qualifying for the semi-finals. This will consist of one semi-final between the first and fourth placed teams, and the other between the second and third placed teams.

The format has also been changed for the 2028 T20 World Cup.

The upcoming 2028 T20 World Cup will continue to feature 20 teams, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. The tournament's revised format has been designed to allow for an increased number of teams in the second stage of the competition.

Group stage (30 matches)

The 20 teams will be divided into five groups. In the previous T20 World Cup, the 20 teams were divided into four groups. The top two teams from each of the five groups will qualify for the Super 10.

Super 10 (20 matches)

In the Super 10 group stage, teams will be divided into two groups of five, with matches played in a round-robin format. The winners of each Super 10 group will qualify directly for the semi-finals.

Eliminator (2 matches)

The remaining two spots for the semi-finals will be decided through a new 'Eliminator Round', in which the second-placed teams from each Super 10 group will face the third-placed teams from the other group.

The teams winning the eliminator matches will complete the semi-final line-up, while the semi-finals and final will be played as per the existing format.