The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday announced a revamped format for the men’s 2027 One Day International World Cup that could lead to an extra match between arch-rivals Pakistan and India.
While next year’s edition in southern Africa remains a 14-team competition, the three lowest-ranked qualifiers will now take part in a preliminary round, with only one of them progressing to a 12-man main group stage.
It will now feature just two pools of six, with a new ‘super seven’ stage replacing the previous ‘super six’ round-robin.
Significantly, there will be no quarter-finals, denying the tournament the additional danger and interest that comes with an extra round of clear knockout matches.
However, an extra team in the round-robin stage raises the prospect of an extra match between India and Pakistan.
The passion for cricket in the subcontinent, which in turn generates huge broadcasting rights and commercial revenue for the ICC, makes an India-Pakistan match the most lucrative in the sport.
But India and Pakistan no longer meet outside of ICC events, with political tensions between the neighboring nations meaning they are effectively barred by their own governments from facing each other.
The last bilateral series India played in Pakistan was in 2006 (Test and ODI series).
In a statement, the ICC insisted that the new World Cup structure “creates greater context, competitiveness and consistency during the event.”
Another change approved at the ICC’s recent board meeting in Edinburgh will see the next men’s T20 World Cup in 2028 remain a 20-team competition, but with 10 teams qualifying from the group stage instead of eight.
The two best performing teams in the ‘Super 10’ will automatically secure a semi-final place with a new elimination phase to decide their opponents.
