Sports
ICC revamps Men’s T20 World Cup format, qualification pathway for 2028 edition
Tournament to feature five groups in opening stage, new Eliminators round to decide final two semi-finalists
DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved a new format and qualification pathway for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, with the changes set to take effect from the 2028 edition, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
The tournament will remain a 20-team event but will feature a revamped structure aimed at giving emerging nations more opportunities while making the knockout stages more competitive.
Under the new format, the 20 teams will be divided into five groups of four in the opening stage, replacing the four groups of five used at the 2026 tournament. The top two teams from each group will progress to the Super 10 stage.
The Super 10 will consist of two groups of five teams playing in a round-robin format. The winners of each group will qualify directly for the semi-finals.
A new Eliminators round will determine the remaining two semi-finalists. The second-placed team from each Super 10 group will face the third-placed team from the opposite group, with the winners advancing to the last four.
The semi-finals and final will retain the existing format.
Twelve teams have already qualified automatically for the 2028 tournament based on their performances at the 2026 T20 World Cup and ICC rankings. They are Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe.
The ICC has also revised the qualification pathway for the 2028 event.
Scotland will advance directly to the Europe Regional Final, recognising the exceptional circumstances surrounding its qualification for the 2026 tournament after Bangladesh withdrew.
Canada, Italy, Namibia, Nepal, the Netherlands, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, all of whom featured at the 2026 World Cup but did not secure automatic qualification, will progress directly to the Global Qualifier.
The remaining eight Global Qualifier spots will be filled through regional qualifying tournaments, with two teams each from Africa, Asia and Europe, and one each from the Americas and East Asia-Pacific.
From the Global Qualifier, the highest-placed team from each region will qualify for the 2028 World Cup, alongside the next three best-performing teams overall, subject to minimum performance criteria.
The ICC Board approved the changes following recommendations from its Development Committee and Chief Executives’ Committee. Final approval will be sought after a review by the Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee at its November meeting.
