The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 is set to begin on October 2 next year, with Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe jointly hosting the 14-team tournament.
The competition will run until November 21, when the final is scheduled to be played in Johannesburg. The 2027 edition will introduce a revamped format, with teams progressing through a Super Series, group stage and Super 7 phase before the semi-finals.
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The tournament will feature 14 teams, with hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe receiving direct qualification. Eight more teams qualified through their positions in the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings at the September 30, 2026 cut-off.
The remaining four places will be decided through the Cricket World Cup Qualifier. The winner of that tournament will qualify directly for the group stage, while the other three teams will enter the Super Series.
The Super Series will consist of three teams playing each other once, with the top side securing the final group-stage position.
The 14 teams will then be divided into two groups of seven? Wait, the ICC format states two groups of six after the Super Series, meaning 12 teams will compete in the group stage. The teams will play every other side in their group once.
The top three teams from each group will advance to the Super 7 stage, along with the better fourth-placed team across the two groups. Points from the group stage will not carry forward.
In the Super 7 phase, all seven teams will play each other once, giving each side six additional matches. The top four teams will qualify for the semi-finals.
The semi-final match-ups will see the top-ranked Super 7 team face fourth place, while second place will take on third. The semi-finals are scheduled for November 17 and 18, with the final set for November 21 in Johannesburg. Reserved days have also been allocated for the knockout matches if required.
India, Australia, Pakistan and England have been pre-seeded into specific Super 7 positions from Group A, while New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka have designated positions from Group B. The seeding is intended to provide greater clarity around potential fixtures and venue allocations while preserving the qualification process.
The tournament will be played across 12 venues in the three host countries. Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek will host the three Super Series matches and three group games.
Zimbabwe will stage matches at Harare Sports Club, Queen’s Sports Club in Bulawayo and the new Mosi-oa-Tunya Stadium in Victoria Falls. The latter will host Zimbabwe’s match against India, which will be the first World Cup game at the venue.
South Africa will host matches in Cape Town, Paarl, Johannesburg, Tshwane, Bloemfontein, Durban, KuGompo City and Gqeberha.
The ICC has also opened its ticket ballot ahead of the tournament. Ticket prices are listed from USD 9.62 for entry-level tickets to USD 31.31 for the highest-tier matches, with family, student, pensioner, local and community group options also planned.
