The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved major format changes for its men’s marquee global tournaments, including the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
The decisions were taken by the ICC Board following its annual meetings in Edinburgh, after recommendations from the Chief Executives’ Committee.
The ICC said the changes are aimed at creating more meaningful contests, improving competitive standards and adding greater consequence across different stages of its global events.
ODI World Cup to remain a 14-team tournament
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup will continue to feature 14 teams, but the tournament structure will change significantly.
The revised format will begin with a new Super Series round involving teams 12, 13 and 14. These three teams will play a round-robin stage, with the top team progressing to the next round.
Round 2 will feature two groups of six teams. The top three teams from each group, along with the next highest-placed team across both groups, will qualify for the new Super 7 stage.
The Super 7 will be played in a round-robin format, with the top four teams progressing to the semi-finals. The semi-finals will be played as 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3, followed by the final.
T20 World Cup to expand second stage to Super 10
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will remain a 20-team tournament, but the second stage will expand from Super Eight to Super 10.
The group stage will now feature five groups of four teams each. Two teams from each group will qualify for the Super 10 stage.
The Super 10 will be split into two groups of five teams. The top team from each group will qualify directly for the semi-finals.
The second and third-placed teams from the two Super 10 groups will then play eliminators for the remaining semi-final spots.
The ICC said the changes are designed to keep more matches meaningful until the later stages of the tournament.
2028 T20 World Cup qualification pathway approved
The ICC Board has also approved the qualification structure for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2028.
Scotland will enter directly into the Europe Regional Final due to exceptional circumstances around its participation in the 2026 tournament.
Teams that played in the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup but did not secure automatic qualification will move directly into the Global Qualifier.
Eight additional teams will qualify for the Global Qualifier through regional pathways. Africa, Asia and Europe will receive two places each, while the Americas and East Asia-Pacific regions will receive one place each.
At the Global Qualifier, the highest-placed team from each region, along with the next three highest-placed teams overall, will qualify for the 2028 Men’s T20 World Cup, subject to minimum performance criteria.
New associate tournament proposed
The ICC Board has also endorsed a proposed 16-team global tournament as a precursor to the Men’s T20 World Cup.
The proposed tournament is aimed at raising competitive standards and creating a major global competition for associate nations.
However, the event has not received final approval yet. The ICC said it will be reviewed by the Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee before being considered again at the Board’s November meetings.
What it means for Nepal
For Nepal, the revised T20 World Cup pathway keeps regional qualification highly important. Asia will have two places in the Global Qualifier, meaning Nepal’s route to the 2028 T20 World Cup will still depend heavily on performance in the Asian pathway.
The proposed 16-team associate tournament could also become an important platform for Nepal and other emerging cricket nations, if it receives final approval later this year.
The changes also underline the growing importance of consistency in ICC events, with more stages carrying direct qualification consequences.
Source: ICC media release
