ODI World Cup 2027 to be played from October 4 to November 21

The dates were agreed upon during the ICC board meeting in Ahmedabad in May, with final confirmation expected at the ICC Annual General Meeting in Edinburgh in July.

According to the report, South Africa is likely to host the majority of matches, with at least 41 out of 54 games taking place across eight venues. Zimbabwe is expected to stage between eight and ten matches across three venues, including Victoria Falls, Harare Sports Club, and Queens in Bulawayo.

Namibia will host three games. The newly built Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Zimbabwe is set to host domestic matches this year before its official inauguration next May. Plans for South Africa to travel to Zimbabwe in August to open the stadium as an international venue have been postponed.

The 2027 ODI World Cup will mark the first men's tournament in Africa since 2003. South Africa has, however, hosted the 2007 T20 World Cup, 2009 Champions Trophy, and 2023 Women's T20 World Cup. Zimbabwe and Namibia recently co-hosted the Under-19 Men's World Cup.

The tournament will return to a 14-team format after the previous two editions featured 10 teams. Teams will be divided into two groups of seven, with the top three from each group advancing to the Super Six stage. South Africa and Zimbabwe, as Full Members, automatically qualify, while Namibia must go through the qualification process.

The 2027 ODI World Cup will also be the first ICC event under the 2027-2031 Future Tours Programme (FTP), which outlines bilateral international fixtures.

Discussions on the FTP, including the structure and possible expansion of the World Test Championship (WTC), are ongoing, with final decisions expected at ICC meetings in Hong Kong later this year, according to the report.

The ICC is also set to decide whether all 12 Full Members will be included in the WTC and whether one-off Tests can be part of the championship. (ANI)