14 Teams for Men’s ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup to be a 20-team event

Men’s ICC Cricket World Cup will now be a 14-team tournament. The change will be effective in 2027 and 2031 editions, the International Cricket Council has confirmed.

The changes were announced as the ICC announced the global cricket schedule from 2024-2031.

Another prominent ICC tournament, the Champions Trophy which was last played in 2017 is set to return in 2025, and the subsequent edition will be conducted in 2029. The tournament will be played by top eight teams in ODI cricket

A statement issued by the ICC said, “The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup will become a 14 team, 54-match event in 2027 and 2031, whilst the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will be expanded to a 20-team, 55-match event in 2024, 2026, 2028 and 2030.”

The format of the World Test Championship will continue to remain the same as it is right now where teams play six series each to compete in the final every two years.

The expanded men’s ODI world cup will see the 14 teams in two groups of seven, with the top three in each group progressing to a Super Six stage, followed by semifinals and final. This format was last followed in 2003 when the tournament was held in South Africa, with India playing the finals against Australia.

The T20 World Cup will be a 20-team event with four groups of five teams each, top two from each group will advance to the Super Eights stage. Champions Trophy, on the other hand, will continue to be a short event with only the top flight teams competing in it.