As per the agreed international calendar, the 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup, which will be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, is tentatively scheduled from October 4 to November 21.
The dates were approved at the International Cricket Council’s recent board meeting in Ahmedabad in May, with final confirmation expected at the ICC Annual General Meeting in Edinburgh in July.
It is understood that South Africa, under Cricket South Africa, will host most of the matches, with at least 41 of the 54 matches being played at eight venues.
Zimbabwe, overseen by Cricket Zimbabwe, is expected to host eight to 10 matches, while Namibia Cricket Namibia will host three matches.
Zimbabwe’s venue list expands from two to three stadiums, with Victoria Falls joining Harare Sports Club and Queen’s Sports Club in Bulawayo.
The Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium is expected to be completed later this year, initially to host domestic matches ahead of the official opening ceremony scheduled for next May.
South Africa’s planned tour of Zimbabwe in August to open the stadium for international cricket has been postponed.
The 2027 edition will mark the return of the Men’s ODI World Cup to Africa for the first time since 2003.
South Africa has previously hosted major ICC events including the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2009 Champions Trophy and the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup, while Zimbabwe and Namibia recently co-hosted the Men’s Under-19 World Cup.
After 10 teams participated in the previous two editions, the tournament will expand to a 14-team format. The teams will be divided into two groups of seven, with the top three from each group advancing to the Super Six stage.
South Africa and Zimbabwe will automatically qualify as full members, while Namibia will have to go through the qualification route.
The 2027 World Cup will also serve as the inaugural event of the 2027-2031 Future Tour Programme, which governs bilateral international cricket schedules.
The final details of the FTP are expected to be finalized at ICC meetings later this year, along with discussions on the structure of the World Test Championship and its possible expansion.
A major point of debate is whether all 12 full members should be included in the World Test Championship, and the possibility of allowing one-off Test matches to count towards the tournament.
A final decision on these matters may be taken at the July AGM, after which the entire FTP system will be formalized.