KEY POINTS
- The ODI World Cup will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia in October-November 2027
- 44 of the 54 matches will take place in eight South African cities, with the rest in Zimbabwe and Namibia
- South Africa and Zimbabwe qualify automatically, while Namibia must go through the qualifiers
ISLAMABAD: Cricket South Africa (CSA) has set out its plans for the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2027, naming venues and the organising committee to oversee preparations.
The tournament, scheduled for October and November 2027, will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in what is expected to be a landmark event for African cricket.
CSA confirmed that 44 out of the 54 matches will be played in eight South African cities: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha, Bloemfontein, East London, and Paarl.
The remaining 10 matches will be split between Zimbabwe and Namibia.
This tournament will mark another proud chapter in South Africa’s hosting history.
The country previously co-hosted the 2003 ODI World Cup, staged the 2007 T20 World Cup, and hosted the 2009 Champions Trophy.
More recently, they hosted the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup, where the Proteas made it all the way to the final.
Former South African finance minister Trevor Manuel has been appointed to head the Local Organising Committee (LOC), which will lead preparations on the ground.
CSA chairperson Pearl Maphoshe expressed excitement about the event, saying, “CSA’s vision is to stage a global, inspiring event which reflects the face of South Africa — diverse, inclusive, and united.”
Qualification and format
As co-hosts, South Africa and Zimbabwe have already secured their places in the tournament. However, Namibia will still need to fight its way in through the African qualifiers.
The remaining teams will qualify in two ways:
- Top 8 teams in the ICC ODI rankings will qualify directly.
- The final 4 spots will be filled through global qualifying tournaments.
The tournament format will include:
- Two groups of seven teams each.
- Round-robin group stages, where each team plays every other in its group.
- The top three from each group will advance to the Super Six stage.
- The best from the Super Six will move to the semi-finals, leading to the final, where the new world champion will be crowned.
