ICC Sets Tentative Schedule for 2027 Men's ODI World Cup

Kathmandu. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has set a tentative schedule for the Men's ODI World Cup to be held in 2027. 

This World Cup, to be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, has been included in the calendar to be held from October 4 to November 21, 2027. The ICC Board meeting held in Ahmedabad last May agreed on this date, and its final detailed description will be approved by the ICC Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held in Edinburgh next July. 

Most of the total 54 matches of the tournament are likely to be played in eight stadiums in South Africa. South Africa will host at least 41 matches, while Zimbabwe will host 8 to 10 matches and Namibia will host 3 matches. 

Zimbabwe will now use three stadiums instead of the two initially planned, with Victoria Falls also added. The 'Phalele Mosie-oa-Tounya International Cricket Stadium' being built in Victoria Falls will be completed by the end of this year and domestic cricket will be played there before its official inauguration next May. Although there was a discussion about South Africa visiting Zimbabwe in August to inaugurate this stadium, the plan was later postponed. 

This is the first ODI World Cup to be held on the African continent in 24 years since the 2003 World Cup. However, South Africa has already hosted the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2009 Champions Trophy, and the 2023 Women's T20 World Cup, while Zimbabwe and Namibia recently jointly hosted the Under-19 Men's World Cup. 

This tournament, which was played between only 10 teams in the last two editions, will return to a 14-team structure this time. The teams will be divided into two groups of seven, and the top three teams from each group will advance to the 'Super Six' stage. As full members of the ICC, South Africa and Zimbabwe have automatically qualified for the tournament, while Namibia will have to go through the qualification process. 

This World Cup will also be the first ICC event under the upcoming 'Future Tours Program' (FTP) from 2027 to 2031. This FTP calendar, which determines bilateral international series, will be finalized at the ICC meeting to be held in Hong Kong at the end of this year. 

The structure of the World Test Championship (WTC) and its potential expansion have become the main complex issues in the construction of the new FTP. The ICC is yet to make a final decision on including all 12 countries, including the three full members not currently in the WTC – Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Afghanistan – and whether to include one-match Test series in the points table. 

It is understood that a decision may be made on this matter at the AGM in July, after which the full FTP schedule will be released.