ICC to lift curtain on 2027 World Cup next week

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is set to unveil the schedule for the 2027 Cricket World Cup on  1 October in Cape Town, marking the start of the countdown to the global event.

The 14-team ODI tournament will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, bringing the World Cup back to Africa for the first time since 2003. The competition is expected to run from 4 October to 21 November , 2027, with the final likely to be held on the closing day.

South Africa and Zimbabwe have secured automatic qualification as co-hosts. Namibia, however, must qualify through the designated pathway as it is not an ICC Full Member nation.

Eight more teams are set to qualify directly through the ODI rankings before the 30 September cut-off date. Based on the current standings, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Australia, England, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh occupy those positions, while the remaining four places will be decided through a qualifying tournament.