ICC's New T20 World Cup Format Could Reshape Cricket's Future

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The ICC has approved a new format for the Men's T20 World Cup starting in 2028. Five groups of four teams replace the old structure, and a Super 10 stage with eliminators adds more drama. Discover how qualification changes and which teams are already in.

The International Cricket Council has officially approved a major overhaul of the Men's T20 World Cup format, starting with the 2028 edition. Australia and New Zealand will co-host the tournament, which keeps 20 teams but changes how they advance through the competition. ### Group Stage: Five Groups of Four The 2026 tournament split 20 teams into four groups of five. From 2028, organizers will use five groups of four teams instead, producing 30 group-stage matches. The top two sides from each group move forward. This change keeps qualification opportunities open for smaller cricket nations. ICC officials point to strong performances from emerging teams at the 2026 event as one reason for maintaining that access. It's a smart move that balances competition growth with inclusivity. ### Super 10 Stage Replaces Super Eights Ten teams advance into a new Super 10 stage, arranged in two groups of five that play round-robin matches. That's 20 games total. Only the winner of each group earns a direct spot in the semi-finals. But here's where it gets interesting. The second- and third-placed teams don't go home immediately. Instead, they enter a newly created Eliminators round. The second-placed team from one Super 10 group plays the third-placed team from the other group. Two such matches decide the remaining semi-final berths. This adds pressure and consequence to matches that, under the old format, carried less weight once the top two spots were effectively locked in. Semi-finals and the final continue under the existing structure. ### Qualification Pathway for 2028 Twelve teams have already locked in their places for 2028 based on their 2026 results and current rankings: - Afghanistan - Australia - Bangladesh - England - India - Ireland - New Zealand - Pakistan - South Africa - Sri Lanka - West Indies - Zimbabwe Scotland receives a direct entry into the Europe Regional Final, a decision the ICC attributes to the unusual circumstances of their 2026 qualification, which came after Bangladesh withdrew from the tournament. Eight other teams that competed in 2026 without securing automatic 2028 qualification move straight into the Global Qualifier: - Canada - Italy - Namibia - Nepal - Netherlands - Oman - United Arab Emirates - United States The remaining eight Global Qualifier places will be filled through regional events. Two spots each from Africa, Asia, and Europe, and one spot each from the Americas and East Asia-Pacific. Once the Global Qualifier concludes, the highest-ranked team from each region qualifies automatically, joined by the next three highest-placed teams overall, provided they meet minimum performance requirements. ### What This Means for Cricket Fans 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 ICC Development Committee and the ICC Chief Executives' Committee recommended these changes, and the ICC Board has since endorsed them. The format still needs final sign-off from the ICC Finance & Commercial Affairs Committee, which meets in November. For now, cricket fans can look forward to a more dynamic and competitive tournament starting in 2028.

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