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The changes were approved during the ICC Annual General Meeting in Edinburgh and are aimed at making matches more competitive, reducing one-sided group-stage encounters and ensuring more games have qualification importance.

The revised formats follow the ICC's review of recent global tournaments, where several early-stage matches had limited impact on the final standings. The cricket governing body said the new structures are designed to create more meaningful contests, improve competitive balance and enhance the overall experience for players and fans. The changes will apply to both the 50-over and T20 World Cup formats.

For the 2027 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, the tournament will continue with 14 teams but introduce a new three-stage structure. The competition will begin with a Super Series involving the three lowest-ranked qualified teams. These teams will compete in a round-robin format, with the winner earning a place in the main tournament.

The remaining 12 teams will then be divided into two groups of six. Each team will play every other team in its group once, with the top three teams from each group and the next best-performing team across both groups moving into the Super 7 stage. The Super 7 will feature another round-robin phase, after which the top four teams will qualify for the semi-finals.

The 2028 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, to be hosted by Australia and New Zealand, will retain its 20-team format but replace the existing Super 8 stage with a Super 10 phase. The tournament will begin with five groups of four teams, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the next stage. The 10 remaining teams will then be divided into two groups of five for the Super 10 round.

Under the new T20 structure, the winners of the two Super 10 groups will qualify directly for the semi-finals. Teams finishing second and third in each group will compete in an Eliminators round to decide the remaining two semi-finalists. The ICC said this format will provide greater opportunities for emerging teams while increasing competition in the later stages of the tournament.

The qualification process for the 2028 T20 World Cup has also been outlined, with 12 teams already securing direct qualification based on their performances in the 2026 T20 World Cup and ICC rankings. The remaining eight spots will be decided through regional qualification events and a Global Qualifier tournament. The ICC Board has approved the recommendations, though the proposals remain subject to final review by the Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee.