The 2027 men’s ODI World Cup is provisionally scheduled to take place from October 4 to November 21, 2027, across South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, according to reports. The dates were reportedly agreed upon during the ICC Board meeting held in Ahmedabad in May, with final approval expected at the ICC Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Edinburgh this July.
South Africa is expected to host the majority of the tournament, with at least 41 of the total 54 matches likely to be played across eight venues in the country. Zimbabwe is set to host between eight and ten games, while Namibia is expected to stage three matches.
In a notable development, Zimbabwe will feature three host venues instead of the initially planned two. Alongside Harare Sports Club and Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, Victoria Falls is expected to join the list. The newly built Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium, scheduled for completion later this year, is expected to host domestic cricket before its official inauguration in May 2027.
The ICC ODI World Cup will return to Africa with this tournament, the first time since 2003 it has been held on the continent. South Africa has hosted three major ICC events since then: the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2009 Champions Trophy and the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup.
The 2027 edition of the tournament will expand back to its original format of 14 teams after the last two editions both had only ten teams participating. The teams will be split into two groups, each containing seven teams, with the top three teams in each group moving to the Super Six stage. As Full Members, South Africa and Zimbabwe have automatically qualified for the tournament, while Namibia will have to qualify via the regular qualification process.
In addition, the 2027 men’s World Cup will mark the first ICC event to take place under the 2027-2031 Future Tours Programme (FTP), which dictates the timing of all bilateral international cricket matches. The FTP is currently under discussion, and the proposed expansion of the World Test Championship (WTC) and its structure are key topics being discussed.
The ICC is yet to determine whether all of the Full Member countries (12 total, including Zimbabwe, Ireland & Afghanistan) would be allowed entry into the WTC and also if a one-off test match is eligible towards determining the final winner. A final determination should take place at their AGM held on or around July 19th, 2021.
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