Durban, October 7,2026: Cricket Australia (CA) CEO Todd Greenberg has said the expansion of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) to 12 teams is nearing reality, while stressing that difficult decisions may be required to ensure the long-term sustainability of Test cricket.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has been considering expanding the WTC since last year and formed a working group led by former New Zealand batsman Roger Twose to examine possible changes to the competition.
The group initially proposed a two-division WTC structure, but the proposal was rejected by several Full Member nations later that year.
A revised proposal for a 12-team WTC was subsequently reported to be under consideration. The expanded format would potentially include Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Ireland, all of which hold Full Member status but were not included when the WTC was launched in 2019.
Although the three countries play Test cricket, they have had limited opportunities to face the nine teams currently competing in the WTC.
Speaking to reporters in Durban ahead of Australia’s Test series opener against South Africa, Greenberg indicated that an expanded 12-team competition could be part of the next WTC cycle.
“I think that’s what will happen for the next two years,” Greenberg said when asked about the proposed 12-team model.
“For the next iteration [of the WTC], I can understand why it is that number because they want to give every Test nation the opportunity,” he added.
Greenberg, however, warned that expanding participation would also create financial challenges for cricket boards.
He said countries involved in an expanded WTC would eventually have to make “hard decisions” if revenues from the ICC decline or bilateral Future Tours Programme (FTP) arrangements fail to generate sufficient income.
“Ultimately, countries are going to have to make hard decisions themselves because if revenues don’t continue to come in from the ICC at the levels that we’ve enjoyed, or they can’t generate their own FTP arrangements, then ultimately any business, ours is the same, you can’t continue to distribute more than you earn every year,” Greenberg said.
“That’s where global cricket finds itself in some parts.”
The proposed expansion is aimed at giving all Test-playing nations greater access to the WTC, but the financial viability of maintaining a larger Test calendar remains a key consideration for cricket’s governing bodies.
