The 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup will run from October 4 to November 21. The tournament will be hosted across South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Dates were agreed upon at the ICC board meeting in Ahmedabad in May, with final details to be confirmed at the ICC’s AGM in Edinburgh in July.
South Africa’s eight venues will host the majority of matches, at least 41 of the 54 games. Zimbabwe will stage between eight and ten games across three venues: Harare Sports Club, Queens in Bulawayo, and Victoria Falls, which is a late addition to the original two-venue plan. Namibia will host three games.
The Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls is currently under construction and expected to be completed later this year. It will host domestic cricket first before an official inauguration next May. South Africa had been in early talks to travel to Zimbabwe in August to open the stadium as an international venue, but those plans have been pushed back.
14-Team Format Returns After Two Editions
The tournament goes back to a 14-team field after the last two editions were played with 10 teams. All 14 sides will be split into two groups of seven. The top three teams from each group will advance to the Super Six stage.
South Africa and Zimbabwe qualify automatically as Full Members. Namibia, despite being a co-host, must go through the qualification process. The return to 14 teams means more nations get direct access to the tournament, which is a notable shift from the more restricted format used in 2019 and 2023.
First ODI World Cup in Africa Since 2003
The 2027 edition will be the first men’s ODI World Cup on African soil since the 2003 tournament. South Africa has not been without major cricket events in the years since, the country hosted the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2009 Champions Trophy, and the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup. But the men’s ODI showpiece returning to the continent after more than two decades carries obvious significance.
Zimbabwe and Namibia co-hosted the Under-19 Men’s World Cup recently, giving both nations recent large-event experience ahead of 2027.
ICC’s Broader Calendar Still Being Finalised
The 2027 World Cup will be the opening event of the 2027–2031 Future Tours Programme. The FTP, which sets bilateral international schedules between nations, is being finalised at ICC meetings in Hong Kong later this year.
The main sticking point right now is the World Test Championship. The ICC is deciding whether to bring all 12 Full Members into the WTC — Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Afghanistan currently sit outside it — and whether one-off Tests can count within the WTC schedule. A decision may come at the July AGM in Edinburgh, after which the full FTP structure will be drawn up.
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