Dubai, July 15,2026: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved sweeping changes to the formats of its flagship men’s global tournaments, introducing new competition structures for both the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to increase competitiveness and ensure every match carries greater significance.
The decisions were taken during the ICC Board’s annual meetings in Edinburgh, where members endorsed recommendations from the Chief Executives’ Committee aimed at creating more meaningful contests and enhancing the overall experience for players, teams and fans.
While the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup will continue to feature 14 teams, the tournament will now be played in a three-stage format before the knockout rounds.
Under the revised structure, the teams ranked 12th, 13th and 14th will first compete in a round-robin “Super Series”, with the winner progressing to the main tournament.
The main competition will then feature two groups of six teams. The top three teams from each group, along with the next best-performing team across both groups, will advance to a newly introduced “Super 7” stage.
The Super 7 will be played in a round-robin format, with the top four teams qualifying for the semi-finals. The first-placed team will face the fourth-placed side, while the second-placed team will meet the third-placed team, with the winners advancing to the final.
According to the ICC, the revised structure is designed to ensure every stage of the tournament remains highly competitive while continuing to provide emerging cricket nations with opportunities to compete at the highest level.
The ICC also approved major changes to the Men’s T20 World Cup while retaining the 20-team format.
Instead of four groups of five teams, the tournament will now begin with five groups of four teams, with the top two teams from each group progressing to a new Super 10 stage, replacing the previous Super Eights.
The Super 10 phase will consist of two groups of five teams. The winners of each group will qualify directly for the semi-finals.
A new Eliminator stage has also been introduced, where the second-placed team from one Super 10 group will play the third-placed team from the other group. The winners of the two Eliminator matches will secure the remaining two semi-final places.
The ICC said the changes were influenced by the performances of emerging teams during the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup and are intended to maintain competitive intensity while ensuring that the final matches of the Super 10 stage remain meaningful.
The ICC Board also endorsed plans for a new 16-team global tournament exclusively for Associate Member nations, which is expected to be held before future Men’s T20 World Cups.
The proposed competition aims to raise playing standards among Associate teams while providing them with a major international event. The proposal is subject to final approval by the ICC Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee at its November meeting.
The ICC also confirmed the qualification pathway for the 2028 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Scotland will receive direct entry into the Europe Regional Final because of exceptional circumstances related to its participation in the 2026 tournament.
Teams that competed in the 2026 T20 World Cup but failed to qualify automatically for the 2028 edition will advance directly to the Global Qualifier.
The remaining eight Global Qualifier places will be filled through regional qualification, with two teams each from Africa, Asia and Europe, and one team each from the Americas and East Asia-Pacific.
The highest-placed team from each region at the Global Qualifier, along with the next three best-performing teams overall, will qualify for the 2028 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, subject to the ICC’s minimum performance criteria.
