The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced significant changes to the formats of its flagship men’s tournaments, the ODI World Cup and the T20 World Cup, in a move designed to increase competitiveness and ensure that every stage of the events carries greater significance. The revised structures, unveiled after the ICC’s annual meetings in Edinburgh, will expand both tournaments with additional rounds and introduce fresh qualification pathways, although the proposals will require final approval later this year.
ODI World Cup to feature expanded four-stage format
One of the biggest changes comes in the Men’s ODI World Cup, which will now be played across four distinct stages. The tournament will also return to a 14-team format after the previous two editions in 2019 and 2023 featured only 10 teams. The competition will begin with a preliminary opening round involving the teams ranked 12th, 13th and 14th. Only the winner of this stage will advance to the next phase, joining the remaining 11 qualified teams.
The second stage will consist of two groups of six teams each. At the end of the group phase, the top three sides from each group, along with the highest-ranked fourth-placed team across both groups, will qualify for a newly introduced Super 7 round. Replacing the previous Super 6 stage, the Super 7 will operate as a round-robin league where every match carries significant weight. According to the ICC, the revised system has been designed to reward consistency throughout the tournament while ensuring more meaningful contests before the knockout rounds.
The top four teams from the Super 7 standings will advance to the semi-finals, with the first-ranked side facing the fourth-placed team and the second-ranked team taking on the third-ranked side.
T20 World Cup gets Super 10 and Eliminator matches
The ICC has also overhauled the Men’s T20 World Cup format by expanding the second stage of the tournament.
Instead of four groups of five teams, the opening phase will now feature five groups comprising four teams each. The top two teams from every group will progress, creating a 10-team second round instead of the previous Super 8 stage. These 10 teams will be divided into two groups of five, forming the newly introduced Super 10 stage.
Another notable addition is the introduction of IPL-style Eliminator matches. While the table-toppers from both Super 10 groups will qualify directly for the semi-finals, the teams finishing second in each group will face the third-placed team from the opposite group in two Eliminator fixtures. The winners of those contests will complete the semi-final lineup before the tournament concludes with the championship final. The ICC believes the revised format will provide more opportunities for emerging nations while keeping the race for the knockout stages alive for longer.
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Qualification pathway updated for 2028 T20 World Cup
The governing body has also confirmed changes to the qualification process for the 2028 Men’s T20 World Cup. Scotland has been granted direct entry into the Europe Regional Final after replacing Bangladesh in the 2026 tournament at short notice. Teams that participated in the 2026 edition but failed to secure automatic qualification will compete through the Global Qualifier.
Eight additional places in the Global Qualifier will be determined through regional qualifying tournaments across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas and the East Asia-Pacific region. The highest-ranked team from each region, along with the next three best-performing teams overall, will earn places at the 2028 T20 World Cup, joining the 12 automatically qualified nations to complete the 20-team field.
Although the ICC Board has endorsed these recommendations following proposals from its Development and Chief Executives’ Committee, the changes are still subject to a final review and approval by the Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee in November.
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