ISLAMABAD (AP) — The International Cricket Council has changed the competition format for two major men’s tournaments, adding a qualifying round before the group stage of the 2027 World Cup and revamping the playoffs for the 2028 Twenty20 World Cup.
“This change was introduced to create more meaningful contests, increase competition standards, strengthen the competitive structure for both events, and improve the tournament experience for athletes and fans.” cricket The international governing body made the announcement following its board meeting over the weekend.
The traditional World Cup features one day of international matches and is usually held once every four years. Australia defeats India to become defending champions The final of the 10-team tournament will be held in Ahmedabad in 2023.
There will be 14 teams participating in next year’s tournament, which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
The T20 World Cup is usually held once every two years. India is the defending champion After a home win in March.
2027 world cup
Round 1: The 12th, 13th, and 14th-placed teams will compete in a so-called “Super Series” round, with the winner joining the other 11 teams in the group stage.
Round 2: The 12 teams are divided into two groups of 6 teams each. The top three teams from each group in the league stage will advance to the Super 7 stage along with the best fourth place team.
Round 3: The Super 7s round includes a round-robin format where each team plays against six other rivals and the top four teams advance to the knockout stage. The semifinals will be No. 1 vs. No. 4 and No. 2 vs. No. 3.
“This structure is designed to enhance competitiveness at every stage of the event,” the ICC said.
T20 World Cup 2028
The tournament, to be held in Australia and New Zealand, will feature 20 teams and 30 matches in the first group stage.
Group Stage: Participating teams will be divided into 5 groups of 4 players each. In the previous T20 World Cup, the teams were divided into four groups of five teams each. The top two teams from each group will advance.
Super 10: This round has two groups of five players each and plays in a round-robin format. Each winner will qualify directly to the semi-finals. The remaining two spots in the semi-finals will be determined by a new eliminator round, with the second-place team from each Super 10 group facing the third-place team from the opposing group. The winners of these eliminators will complete the semi-final lineup.
Based on their performances and team rankings in the 2026 T20 World Cup, 12 teams have already qualified for the 2028 tournament: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe.
The remaining eight spots for the 2028 edition will be filled through a 16-team global qualifying tournament.
The United States, Canada, Italy, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Oman and United Arab Emirates automatically qualified for the world qualifiers. Scotland will qualify directly for the European Regional Final.
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