The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved major changes to its national men’s competitions, introducing a new format for the ODI and T20 World Cups and also approving a new international tournament for partner nations for the 2028 Men’s T20 World Cup. The decisions were taken at the annual meeting of the ICC Board in Edinburgh following the recommendations of the Chief Executives’ Committee. According to the governing body, these changes are aimed at making matches more meaningful from the start, raising competition and providing a better experience for players and fans. The ICC, which includes three representatives from partner countries, also signed the qualification process for the 2028 Men’s T20 World Cup.
A new version of the 14-team ODI World Cup
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup will continue with 14 teams but will now follow three stages before the knockout stage. Under the revised system, the three lowest-ranked teams (Teams 12, 13 and 14) will compete in the “Super Series” round. The winners will join the remaining 11 teams in the next round. Round 2 will consist of two groups of six teams, each group will play in a round robin. The top three teams in each group, along with the other top teams in each group, advance to the Super 7 stage. The Super 7 will consist of one round-robin involving seven teams. The top four teams then reach the semi-finals, the first to play fourth and the second to take third. The winners will meet in the final. The ICC says the new format is designed to increase the importance of every match from the start of the tournament while maintaining the opportunity for emerging teams to compete on the big stage.
T20 World Cup has Super 10 and eliminations
The 20-team ICC Men’s T20 World Cup has also been rescheduled. Instead of four groups of five, the opening round will now consist of five groups of four. The top two teams from each group advance to the next round, which has been expanded from the Super Eights to the Super 10. The Super 10 will consist of two groups of five teams. The first team in each group will enter the semi-finals. The second-placed teams in each group will play the third-placed teams from the other group in the final two groups. The winners of these matches will complete the semi-final line-up. The ICC said the revised system increases the number of teams competing in the second round from eight to 10, giving developing nations a greater advantage while ensuring the competition is more competitive. The establishment of the finals is expected to further increase interest in the finals of the Super 10 stage.
A new qualification process for the 2028 T20 World Cup
The ICC has also approved the qualification criteria for the 2028 Men’s T20 World Cup. Scotland will receive a place in the European Regional Final in recognition of the special events that took place at the 2026 tournament. Teams that played in the 2026 T20 World Cup but did not qualify automatically will go to the Global Qualifier. The remaining eight Global Qualifier places will be determined through regional qualifiers, with Africa, Asia and Europe receiving two places, while the Americas and East Asia-Pacific regions will each have one place. From the Global Qualifier, the top-ranked team from each region, along with the next three best-performing teams, qualify for the 2028 T20 World Cup, on a merit-based basis.
