The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved sweeping changes to the formats of its two flagship men’s tournaments, introducing a three-stage structure for the ODI World Cup and expanding the T20 World Cup’s second phase into a 10-team ‘Super 10′ with a new Eliminator round.
The decisions were ratified during the ICC Annual Conference in Edinburgh following recommendations from the Chief Executives’ Committee, with the governing body aiming to create more meaningful contests, raise competitive standards and improve the experience for players and fans.
ODI World Cup to feature new three-stage format
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup will continue to feature 14 teams, but the tournament will now follow a three-stage format instead of the existing structure.
The three lowest-ranked teams (12th, 13th and 14th) will first compete in a preliminary Super Series, with only one side advancing to the main competition.
The remaining 12 teams will then be divided into two groups of six in the second stage, with the top three teams from each group, along with the best fourth-placed team overall, progressing to a newly introduced Super 7 round-robin stage.
The top four teams from the Super 7 will qualify for the semifinals.
“The structure has been designed to strengthen the competitive narrative across every stage of the event, with matches from Round 1 and Round 2 carrying higher consequence and a highly competitive Super 7 stage determining the semifinalists,” the ICC said.
T20 World Cup expands to Super 10 with Eliminators
The ICC also approved a major overhaul of the T20 World Cup format after the impressive performances of emerging teams at the 2026 edition.
The opening round will now feature five groups of four teams, replacing the previous four groups of five. The top two teams from each group will progress to a Super 10, split into two groups of five.
Unlike the previous format, only the table-toppers from each Super 10 group will qualify directly for the semifinals.
Teams finishing second and third in each group will contest crossover eliminators, with the winners claiming the remaining two semifinal spots.
According to the ICC, the revised format will increase the number of meaningful matches while giving emerging nations greater opportunities to compete deep into the tournament.
Qualification pathway for T20 World Cup 2028 approved
The ICC Board also confirmed the qualification structure for the 2028 Men’s T20 World Cup.
Scotland will receive direct entry into the Europe Regional Final because of the exceptional circumstances surrounding its participation in the 2026 tournament.
Teams that featured at the 2026 T20 World Cup but did not secure automatic qualification will advance directly to the Global Qualifier. They will be joined by eight teams from regional qualifying events, two each from Africa, Asia and Europe, and one each from the Americas and East Asia-Pacific.
The highest-ranked team from each region at the Global Qualifier, along with the next three best-performing teams overall, will qualify for the 2028 World Cup, subject to minimum performance criteria.
The ICC Board also endorsed plans for a new marquee global tournament for Associate Member nations.
The proposal, recommended by the ICC Development Committee and Chief Executives’ Committee, will undergo financial and commercial review before returning to the Board for final approval at its November meetings.