ODI World Cup 2027 The matches will be played simultaneously in 3 countries. Those three countries will be South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. The World Cup 2027 matches are to be held in these three African countries because the ICC has assigned them the hosting rights of the tournament. ICC had given its approval to this in November 2021 itself. The big thing is that out of the three African countries that have got the hosting rights, one of them does not even have lights on the ground. Not only this, only 2 out of the 3 hosts of ICC ODI World Cup 2027 will also get direct qualification in the tournament. We will talk about why a country will not get direct qualification despite being the host of the tournament, but before that, let us know what is the ICC’s motive behind holding the tournament in 3 African countries simultaneously?
Why did ICC host 3 countries together?
The purpose behind this decision of ICC is to promote cricket in Africa and strengthen regional cooperation. This will be the second opportunity for South Africa and Zimbabwe to host the ODI World Cup after 2003. Even in 2003, three African countries got the hosting of the ODI World Cup. But then the third team was not Namibia but Kenya. ICC’s focus is on giving opportunities to emerging associate members like Namibia and promoting them at the global level.
Their joint bid is also behind the 2027 ODI World Cup to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. These three countries together made a strong bid, which included South Africa’s strong infrastructure, Zimbabwe’s previous experience and Namibia’s rapidly growing cricket. ICC accepted his bid so that the reach of cricket in Africa could be increased.
One of the reasons behind organizing the ODI World Cup 2027 in three countries is to manage the 54 matches played between 14 teams properly. It would have been difficult for one country to do this, so it is logistically easier to distribute it among 3 neighboring countries. 44 matches will be played in South Africa, while the remaining 10 will be played in Zimbabwe and Namibia.
The ICC and the cricket boards of the host countries described it as a big event for Africa, which will bring sporting, social and economic benefits. This will be the first opportunity for Namibia to host an ICC event, which validates their cricket development.
Why will Namibia not get direct qualification?
The host country gets direct qualification in ICC tournaments. But, out of the three African host countries of ODI World Cup 2027, only South Africa and Zimbabwe will get direct qualification. This is because both of them are full members of ICC. Whereas, being an associate member, Namibia cannot qualify directly. He will have to confirm his place through the qualifiers.
No lights on the field in Namibia
A current reality regarding Namibia is that there are no floodlights in any of the grounds there. In such a situation, World Cup matches can be played there during the day only. However, there is still time for the ODI World Cup 2027, so it is possible that Namibia may prepare itself completely for the tournament by arranging floodlights on its grounds.