The 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is expected to take place from October 4 to November 21, with South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia sharing hosting duties, according to ESPNCricinfo. The proposed schedule was discussed and broadly approved during the ICC Board meeting in Ahmedabad in May, with formal ratification likely at the governing body’s Annual General Meeting in Edinburgh in July.
South Africa is set to shoulder the majority of the tournament workload, with its eight venues projected to stage more than 40 of the competition’s 54 matches. Zimbabwe is expected to host between eight and 10 games across three venues, while Namibia could stage three fixtures.
A notable addition to Zimbabwe’s venue list is Victoria Falls, which joins Harare and Bulawayo as host cities. The new Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium, currently under construction near Victoria Falls, is scheduled to be completed later this year. The venue is expected to host domestic matches before being officially unveiled in May 2027. Plans for South Africa to inaugurate the ground through an international series this August have reportedly been postponed.
The tournament will mark the return of a senior men’s World Cup to African soil for the first time since 2003. Since then, South Africa has hosted several major ICC events, including the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2009 Champions Trophy and the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup. Zimbabwe and Namibia also gained recent experience as co-hosts of the ICC Under-19 Men’s World Cup.
The 2027 edition will feature 14 teams, restoring the larger format that was abandoned for the previous two World Cups, which were contested by 10 nations. Teams will be split into two groups of seven, with the top three from each group progressing to the Super Six phase. Host nations South Africa and Zimbabwe will qualify automatically by virtue of their Full Member status, while Namibia will need to secure its place through the qualification pathway.
Beyond the tournament itself, the World Cup is expected to serve as the opening event of the ICC’s 2027-31 Future Tours Programme. Discussions surrounding the new FTP remain ongoing, with one of the key issues being the future structure of the World Test Championship.
The ICC is weighing the possibility of expanding the WTC to include all 12 Full Members, which would bring Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan into the competition. Another proposal under consideration is allowing standalone Test matches to count towards WTC standings. A final verdict on these matters could arrive at the ICC AGM in July, paving the way for the remainder of the FTP cycle to be finalised later in the year.
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