ICC changes 2027 World Cup format, raising chance of extra India-Pakistan game
The 2027 ODI World Cup will keep 14 teams but add a preliminary round and a Super Seven stage under changes announced by the ICC.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
The International Cricket Council has changed the format for the men’s 2027 one-day international World Cup, a move that could create another India-Pakistan match during the tournament. The change matters because meetings between the rivals are rare outside ICC competitions and are among cricket’s most valuable broadcast events.
AFP reported that the ICC announced the revised structure on Wednesday. The tournament in Southern Africa will remain a 14-team event, but the three lowest-ranked qualifiers will be placed in a preliminary round, with only one advancing to the main stage.
The main phase will now have 12 teams split into two groups of six. A new Super Seven round will replace the previous Super Six stage, according to the ICC changes reported by AFP.
The format will not include quarterfinals. AFP noted that the absence of that extra knockout round removes a direct elimination stage that can add tension late in a tournament.
The ICC said in a statement cited by AFP that the format gives matches more “context, competitiveness and consequence.” The governing body acted after concerns about too many low-stakes fixtures and one-sided contests at the recent T20 World Cup, AFP reported.
India-Pakistan implications
The added team in the round-robin phase raises the possibility that India and Pakistan could meet more than once in the 2027 event. AFP said their rivalry has been strained further in recent years by political tensions between the two countries.
India and Pakistan do not play regular bilateral cricket, with their governments effectively preventing matches outside ICC tournaments, according to AFP. India’s last bilateral series in Pakistan was in 2006, when the teams played Tests and one-day internationals.
Cricket interest across the subcontinent makes India-Pakistan fixtures especially valuable for the ICC through television rights and commercial income, AFP reported. That commercial weight gives any additional meeting between the teams broader importance for the tournament.
Changes also approved for T20 World Cup
The ICC also approved changes for the men’s T20 World Cup in 2028 at its annual board meeting in Edinburgh last week, according to AFP. That tournament will stay at 20 teams.
Under the revised T20 structure, 10 teams will advance from the group stage instead of eight. The two top performers in the Super 10 phase will go straight to the semifinals, while a new eliminator round will determine the other semifinalists.
Loan approved for Cricket West Indies
In a separate decision, the ICC approved a $12.82 million loan to Cricket West Indies to support the member board, AFP reported. The West Indies team represents a group of Caribbean nations and territories rather than one country.
AFP said that structure, combined with weaker regional economies and long travel demands, leaves Cricket West Indies at a financial disadvantage compared with India, England and Australia. Those three boards are widely known in the sport as the “Big Three.”
West Indies captain Hayley Matthews raised concerns about cricket funding during the recent women’s T20 World Cup in England, AFP reported. After West Indies lost to Australia by eight wickets in the semifinals, Matthews said the growth of investment had widened the gap between teams and called the situation unfair at times.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.