The International Cricket Council (ICC) has provisionally scheduled the 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup from October 4 to November 21, with South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia set to co-host the tournament.
According to ESPNcricinfo, the proposed dates were approved during an ICC Board meeting held in Ahmedabad in May.
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A final decision is expected to be made at the ICC Annual General Meeting in Edinburgh this July.
Host Venues
South Africa is expected to host the majority of the matches, with at least 41 of the tournament’s 54 games likely to be played across eight venues.
Zimbabwe is set to stage between eight to 10 matches, while Namibia is expected to host three fixtures.
Zimbabwe’s hosting plans are also set to expand, with Victoria Falls likely to be added as a third venue alongside Harare Sports Club and Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
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The Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls is expected to be completed later this year. The venue will initially host domestic matches before its official inauguration, which is currently planned for May next year.
Meanwhile, plans for South Africa to tour Zimbabwe in August for the stadium’s international opening have reportedly been shelved.
The upcoming tournament will mark the return of the Men’s ODI World Cup to Africa for the first time since 2003.
South Africa has extensive experience hosting ICC events, having previously staged the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2009 Champions Trophy and the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup.
Zimbabwe and Namibia also recently co-hosted the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Tournament format and structure
The 2027 edition will feature 14 teams, bringing back the format last used before the previous two World Cups, which were contested by 10 teams.
The teams will be divided into two groups of seven, with the top three sides from each group advancing to the Super Six stage.
As Full Members of the ICC, South Africa and Zimbabwe will qualify automatically for the tournament.
Namibia, however, will need to secure its place through the qualification process.
The World Cup will also be the first major event of the 2027–31 Future Tours Programme (FTP), which outlines the schedule for bilateral international cricket.
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Discussions regarding the next FTP cycle are still ongoing, particularly around the future structure of the World Test Championship.
Among the proposals under consideration are the inclusion of all 12 Full Members and the possibility of counting one-off Test matches towards the competition.
The ICC is expected to discuss these matters further during its July AGM before finalising the next FTP cycle.
