The ICC has shaken up the formats of its two biggest men's tournaments. At its Annual General Meeting in Edinburgh, the governing body approved new-look structures for the 2027 ODI World Cup and the 2028 T20 World Cup, adding extra rounds to both in an effort to cut down on dead rubbers and create more high-stakes contests.
In simple terms: both tournaments will now have more knockout-style pressure earlier, and one very likely bonus for fans — a better chance of an extra India vs Pakistan clash.
Here is a clear breakdown of what has changed.
2027 ODI World Cup: Super Series and Super 7 added
The 2027 ODI World Cup, co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, will still feature 14 teams — up from just 10 in the 2019 and 2023 editions. But instead of a straight group stage, it will now run across three rounds before the semi-finals.
Round 1 – Super Series: The three lowest-ranked teams among the 14 qualifiers will play a mini round-robin against each other. Only the winner moves forward. For those three sides, the tournament becomes a knockout from day one.
Round 2 – Groups (30 matches): The Super Series winner joins the other 11 teams to make 12, split into two groups of six. Each team plays the other five in its group. The top three from each group, plus the next best-placed team across both groups, go through — giving seven qualifiers.
Round 3 – Super 7 (21 matches): This is the new heart of the tournament. All seven teams play each other once in a round-robin. This is where the format gets interesting — even if two teams already met in Round 2, they play again here. So if India and Pakistan are in the same group and both reach the Super 7, fans could get a second India-Pakistan game.
Semi-finals: The top four from the Super 7 go through. The team that finishes first plays the fourth-placed side, while second plays third.
The old plan had two groups of seven feeding into a Super 6. The new Super 7 replaces that, and the ICC says the goal is to make every single game carry weight.
2028 T20 World Cup: Super 10 and new eliminators
The T20 World Cup will stay a 20-team event in 2028, when it is co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. But the structure after the group stage has been tightened.
Group stage (30 matches): The 20 teams will now be placed in five groups of four, instead of the four groups of five used in 2026. The top two from each group go through — that means 10 teams reach the next stage.
Super 10 (20 matches): The old Super 8 becomes a Super 10, split into two groups of five. Each team plays the other four in its group.
Semi-finals and eliminators: Here is the twist. Only the team that tops each Super 10 group qualifies directly for the semi-finals. In the old format, the top two from each group went through. Now, the sides that finish second and third must fight for the last two semi-final spots. In two IPL-style eliminators, the second-placed team from one group faces the third-placed team from the other group. The two winners complete the semi-final line-up.
By bumping the second stage from eight teams to ten, the ICC is also trying to give emerging nations a better chance of going deeper in the tournament.
2028 T20 World Cup: how teams will qualify
The qualification route for 2028 has been updated too.
Twelve teams have already booked their places based on their 2026 T20 World Cup performances and rankings: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe.
The remaining eight spots will be decided through a 16-team Global Qualifier. Eight sides that played in 2026 but did not qualify automatically — Canada, Italy, Namibia, Nepal, the Netherlands, Oman, UAE and USA — go straight into that Global Qualifier.
Scotland are a special case. Because of the unusual circumstances around their 2026 appearance (they were a late replacement for Bangladesh), they have been given direct entry into the Europe Regional Final instead of the Global Qualifier.
The final eight Global Qualifier places will come through regional events: Africa, Asia and Europe get two spots each, while the Americas and East Asia-Pacific get one each. The best team from each region, plus the next three best overall, will complete the 20-team line-up.
One important note
These changes have been endorsed by the ICC Board on the recommendation of its Development and Chief Executives' Committees. However, they are not fully locked in yet — final sign-off will come after the ICC's Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee reviews them in November.
The exact fixtures and full schedule for the 2027 ODI World Cup are expected to be confirmed at an ICC meeting later this year.
The message from the ICC is clear: fewer meaningless games, more pressure, and more big matches. The Super 7 in the ODI World Cup and the new eliminators in the T20 World Cup are all about keeping teams — and fans — invested right up to the semi-finals. And with an extra round-robin round in the 50-over event, the door is now open for that one fixture the whole cricket world wants to see more of: India vs Pakistan.
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