The 14th edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup is just a year away. Slated to be hosted across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, the ODI World Cup marks a return to African shores for the first time in 24 years, since the 2003 edition.
The pathway to ODI World Cup qualification has seen a few surprises, as only 10 teams will qualify directly for the 14-team tournament before the official schedule is announced on October 1 in Cape Town.
South Africa and Zimbabwe have booked their slots by virtue of being co-hosts. Despite being a host of the event, Namibia will not receive an automatic slot as they are not a Full-Member ICC nation.
The next eight teams that will receive direct qualifications will be judged by their ODI rankings as on September 30, 2026. India currently top the leaderboard. However, the surprises are rooted lower in the table, where two-time champions West Indies will miss out on a direct berth, alongside Ireland. The two Full-Member sides will join eight other teams in the ODI World Cup qualifiers in early 2027, out of which four teams will proceed to the World Cup.
ODI World Cup 2027: Direct qualifiers
| Method of qualification | Date of qualification | Qualified teams |
|
Hosts |
November 16, 2021 |
South Africa |
| Zimbabwe | ||
|
ODI Team Rankings |
September 30, 2026 |
Afghanistan |
| Australia | ||
| Bangladesh | ||
| England | ||
| India | ||
| New Zealand | ||
| Pakistan | ||
| Sri Lanka |
ODI World Cup 2027 Format
In July 2026, the ICC approved a comprehensive overhaul of the men’s ODI World Cup. The tournament will adopt a new three-stage competition format.
Under the revised structure, the tournament will begin with a new “Super Series” involving the teams ranked 12th, 13th and 14th in qualification. These three teams will compete in a round-robin format, with only the winner advancing to the next stage. The successful team will then join the remaining 11 qualified nations in the second phase, where two groups of six teams will contest 30 matches. The top three teams from each group, along with the next highest-placed team across both groups, will qualify for the newly introduced Super 7 stage.
The Super 7 will see all seven qualifying teams play each other in a single round-robin league comprising 21 matches. The top four teams will progress to the semifinals, with the first-placed side facing the fourth-ranked team and the second-placed side meeting the third-ranked team. The winners will advance to the final.
ODI World Cup 2027 Schedule
The official announcement of the ODI World Cup 2027 schedule is expected to be announced on October 1, 2026, in South Africa, a year out from the tournament.