The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved sweeping changes to the formats of its marquee men’s tournaments, introducing a three-stage structure for the 14-team ODI World Cup and expanding the second phase of the T20 World Cup into a 10-team ‘Super 10’ stage with eliminators.
The changes were approved by the ICC Board during its Annual Conference in Edinburgh following recommendations from the Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC). The governing body said the overhaul is aimed at creating more meaningful contests, improving competitive standards and enhancing the experience for players and fans.
Under the new ODI World Cup format, the tournament will continue to feature 14 teams but will move away from its existing structure. The three lowest-ranked teams (12th, 13th and 14th) will first compete in a preliminary round called the ‘Super Series’, with only the winner progressing to the main competition.
The second stage will feature 12 teams divided into two groups of six, with each group playing a round-robin league. The top three teams from each group, along with the best fourth-placed team across both groups, will advance to a seven-team ‘Super 7’ stage, where each side will play the others once. The top four teams will qualify for the semi-finals.
“The structure has been designed to strengthen the competitive narrative across every stage of the event,” the ICC said, adding that the new format would increase the significance of matches throughout the tournament while continuing to provide emerging teams with opportunities on the global stage.
The ICC has also restructured the 20-team Men’s T20 World Cup after what it described as encouraging performances by emerging nations during the 2026 edition.
The opening round will now consist of five groups of four teams instead of four groups of five. The top two teams from each group will advance to the ‘Super 10’ stage, comprising two groups of five teams each.
In another major change, only the table-toppers from the two Super 10 groups will qualify directly for the semi-finals. Teams finishing second and third in each group will contest cross-over eliminators, with the winners securing the remaining two semi-final berths.
According to the ICC, the revised format is intended to increase the representation of emerging nations in the second stage while ensuring greater competitive intensity through the addition of eliminator matches.
The Board also approved the qualification pathway for the 2028 Men’s T20 World Cup. Scotland has been granted direct entry into the Europe Regional Final after replacing Bangladesh at short notice in the 2026 tournament.
Teams from the 2026 World Cup that do not secure automatic qualification will advance directly to the Global Qualifier, where they will be joined by eight teams emerging from regional qualifying tournaments. The highest-placed team from each region, along with the next three best-performing teams overall, will qualify for the 2028 T20 World Cup, subject to minimum performance criteria.
The new tournament formats have been endorsed by the ICC Board, although the commercial roadmap linked to the changes will undergo a final review by the Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee during its November meetings.
(With agency input)
