14 Teams, Super 7 Round: New Format for ICC ODI World Cup 2027 Explained

The new format for the ICC ODI World Cup 2027 has been announced. The tournament, which will be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, will witness 14 teams and a Super 7 stage.

This new structure was announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after their AGM in Edinburgh, Scotland. Earlier, it was reported that the World Cup will be reduced to 12 teams. However, the ICC has decided that the tournament will continue to have 14 teams, as announced by them earlier.

ICC World Cup 2027 Format Explained

The ICC ODI World Cup 2027 will have 14 teams initially. The tournament will begin with the three lowest-tanked teams fighting for one spot to be in the top 12. These 12 teams will compete in the second round, where all the participating teams will come into play.

The two groups will have six teams each. The top three teams in each group will qualify for the next round, which will be known as Super 7 stage. However, in a twist, the highest ranked team across both groups will be the seventh team to qualify for the Super 7 stage in ICC World Cup.

The top four teams from the Super 7 round will qualify for the semi-finals. The introduction of the Super 7 stage is the most interesting step taken by the ICC for the upcoming ODI World Cup. This format has already created an excitement amongst the fans and it remains to be seen whether it helps the tournament's popularity or not.

More Teams in ICC Cricket World Cup

The addition of more teams means that more associate nations will be able to take part in the marquee cricket tournament. However, the real competition will only begin from the second round when the top teams will get into action.

The ICC World Cup 2027 will be the 14th edition of the tournament. Being the best cricket team in the world, Australia are the most successful side in World Cup history having won 5 trophies so far.

The last edition's Cricket World Cup featured 10 teams with all of them playing against each other once. Australia emerged the champions after defeating India in the final played at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.