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The ICC ODI World Cup 2027 is scheduled to be held in three countries: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Three African countries have been selected for the 50-over tournament. According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, the ODI World Cup 2027 is set to be held in the October-November cycle, just like the 2023 ODI World Cup was held in India.
According to recent reports, the tournament is scheduled to run from October 4 to November 21 in 2027. The said dates were agreed upon during the ICC Board meeting in Ahmedabad in May. Further details will be verified at the ICC Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Edinburgh in July. South Africa’s eight venues are expected to host the majority of the matches, at least 41 of the 54 matches.
World Cup returns to South Africa after 24 years
Zimbabwe is hosting 8 to 10 games, and Namibia is hosting three. Zimbabwe will also have three venues instead of the initial two, with Victoria Falls joining Harare Sports Club and Queens in Bulawayo. In addition to these stadiums, the Fele Mosi-o-Tunya International Cricket Stadium will be ready in late 2026 and will host some home games before the official opening in May 2027.
It is the first time since 2003 that the tournament will be hosted in Africa, with South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya co-hosts, the two countries having previously had the experience of hosting the tournament in 2003. South Africa has hosted the 2007 T20 World Cup, 2009 Champions Trophy and 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup.
2027 ODI World Cup format explained
Zimbabwe and Namibia have also co-hosted the under-19 tournament. The tournament will return to a 14-team format after being played between 10 teams in the last two editions. The teams will be divided into two groups of seven, with the top three from each advancing to the Super Six round. This format was originally used in the 2003 edition.
However, a modified version of the points carry forward (PCF) from the 1999 edition will be re-introduced in the 2027 edition. In the last two editions, there was a round robin format between 10 teams, where every team played against each other, and the top 4 teams qualified for the semi-finals and then the final.
New tour schedule for bilateral series
It is the first ICC event under the 2027-2031 Future Tours Program (FTP), which oversees bilateral international engagement between the countries and will be ratified at the ICC meetings in Hong Kong later this year. It is believed that some preliminary talks have taken place, but the main obstacle to the development of the FTP is the structure of the World Test Championship and its potential growth.
The apex body will take a final decision on whether to include all 12 full members, Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan, who are not currently WTC members, and whether outright Tests can be played as part of the WTC programme. According to the report by ESPNcricinfo, this decision will be taken at the AGM in July, after which the full FTP will be revealed.
