Cricket's T20 World Cup Gets a Major Overhaul Starting 2028

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The ICC has approved a major format overhaul for the Men's T20 World Cup starting in 2028. Australia and New Zealand co-host with a new Super 10 stage and Eliminators round, keeping opportunities for emerging teams while adding more drama.

The International Cricket Council just dropped a bombshell for cricket fans. They've approved a completely revamped format for the Men's T20 World Cup, and it's kicking off with the 2028 edition. Australia and New Zealand are co-hosting, and while the tournament keeps its 20-team lineup, how those teams battle it out is getting a serious shake-up. ### What's Changing in the Group Stage? For 2028, the group stage moves from four groups of five to five groups of four. That means 30 group-stage matches instead of the previous setup. The top two teams from each group still advance, which keeps the door open for smaller cricket nations to make their mark. ICC officials pointed to strong performances from emerging teams in the 2026 event as a big reason for keeping that access wide open. ### The New Super 10 and Eliminators Round Here's where it gets really interesting. Instead of the old Super Eights, we're getting a Super 10 stage. Ten teams split into two groups of five play round-robin matches—20 games total. Only the winner of each group gets a direct ticket to the semi-finals. But the second- and third-placed teams don't pack their bags just yet. They enter a brand-new Eliminators round. The second-placed team from one Super 10 group faces the third-placed team from the other group. Two of these matches decide the remaining semi-final spots. This adds serious pressure to every match, especially those that used to feel meaningless once the top two spots were locked in. The semi-finals and final keep their existing structure. ### Who's Already In for 2028? Twelve teams have already secured their places based on 2026 results and current rankings: - Afghanistan - Australia - Bangladesh - England - India - Ireland - New Zealand - Pakistan - South Africa - Sri Lanka - West Indies - Zimbabwe Scotland gets a direct entry into the Europe Regional Final, thanks to Bangladesh's withdrawal from 2026 qualification. Eight other teams from 2026 that didn't lock in automatic spots move straight into the Global Qualifier: - Canada - Italy - Namibia - Nepal - Netherlands - Oman - United Arab Emirates - United States ### How the Rest Qualify The remaining eight Global Qualifier spots come from regional events: two each from Africa, Asia, and Europe, and one each from the Americas and East Asia-Pacific. Once the Global Qualifier wraps up, the highest-ranked team from each region qualifies automatically. Then the next three highest-placed teams overall join them, as long as they meet minimum performance requirements. ### What's Next? The ICC Development Committee and Chief Executives' Committee recommended these changes, and the ICC Board has given them the thumbs up. But the format still needs final approval from the ICC Finance & Commercial Affairs Committee, which meets in November. These changes come alongside a separate revamp of the Men's Cricket World Cup format, also approved during the ICC's annual meetings in Edinburgh this month. > "The new format adds pressure and consequence to matches that, under the old format, carried less weight once the top two spots were effectively locked in." For more cricket news and updates, check out JeetWin Blog.

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