The International Cricket Council (ICC) has made public 12 of the top venues that will host the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup which will take place in the African continent for the first time in 24 years. South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia will host the premier 50-over tournament with every team from all over the continent in the African continent. After a groundbreaking ceremony in Johannesburg on Thursday to introduce the tournament structure, the tournament will be held at the top stage of the world cricket championship.
South Africa will be the centrepiece of the tournament and will host 8 large-scale cricket matches at eight premier venues in the city-based cricket-loving stadium of the tournament. These are Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, Centurion in Tshwane, Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town, and Kingsmead Cricket Ground in Durban. St George’s Park in Gqeberha, Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein, Boland Park in Paarl, and Buffalo Park in KuGompo City are among the top venues.
The neighbouring Zimbabwe will host matches in three different venues as the country is still in love with the game. Games will take place at the historic Harare Sports Club in Harare, Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, and Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium near the Victoria Falls.
Namibia will make history this summer when it hosts the country’s first senior ICC tournament. Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek’s capital city will be used to host matches. It is a step forward for Namibian cricket after hosting the Under-19 Men's Cricket World Cup with Zimbabwe jointly in 2003 as well. While South Africa and Zimbabwe had hosted the World Cup in 2003 together, the 2027 edition will unite the three countries under the banner of the tournament’s brand “Three Nations, One Heartbeat.”
An Exciting New Format for Maximum Competitiveness. The 2027 Men’s Cricket World Cup will feature 57 games in a dynamic and innovative three-stage format. The action will begin with a Super Series between the 12th to 14th teams in which round-robin action will decide which teams in the tournament will qualify for the main event.
Once the main draw is drawn, 12 teams will be divided into two groups of six for the first league stage with 30 games played in which each team will meet its group opponents. The top three teams of each group and the top-performing team in both pools will take the step to the high-stakes Super 7 stage. With 21 round-robin matches, the Super 7 stage will relegate the contenders to the final four. The top two teams will meet the fourth-ranked team in the first semi-final and the second and third-ranked teams will meet in the second semi-final to crown the ultimate champions.
