DUBAI (Lord Media): The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved significant changes to the formats of the Men’s ODI World Cup and T20 World Cup. According to the ICC, the Men’s Cricket World Cup, featuring 14 teams, will now be played in a three-stage format. The tournament will start with a group stage, followed by a Super 7 stage, where the top seven teams will compete for a place in the semi-finals. The top four teams at the end of the Super 7 will qualify for the semi-finals.
The T20 World Cup format has also seen a major change. In the 20-team event, after the group stage, 10 teams instead of 8 will advance to the next phase, known as the Super 10. Two teams from each group will qualify for the Super 10 stage, where eliminator matches will be held between the second and third-placed teams, with the winners progressing to the semi-finals. The ICC states that this new system will maintain excitement in the matches until the final stages.
Additionally, the ICC has proposed a new international tournament for associate nations, featuring 16 teams, to be held before the T20 World Cup. The aim of the new tournament is to provide a high-quality global platform for associate nations.
Furthermore, the ICC has approved the qualifying system for the 2028 T20 World Cup. Under this system, teams will gain access to the global qualifier through various regions, with the best-performing teams qualifying for the 2028 T20 World Cup. Scotland has been granted a special concession in the 2028 qualifying phase. The final approval for the new international tournament is expected at the ICC Board meeting in November.
