KARACHI: The winner of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers will escape the preliminary stage known as the Super Series and directly enter the main round of the mega event, international media reported on Friday.
According to a report by a leading cricket news website, the winners of the 10-team traditional qualifiers will enter the main round of the mega event, while the second, third and fourth placed teams will compete in the Super Series launched by the International Cricket Council (ICC) earlier this week.
The report added that the qualifiers will be held in early 2027 and the venues are yet to be finalised.
It further shared that the format of the qualifiers for the 2023 edition of the mega event will remain the same, with 10 teams divided into two groups of five, followed by the Super Six.
Under the revised formula, the tournament will feature 14 teams, but will follow a new three-tier format aimed at creating more competitive matches and improving the experience for players and fans.
According to the new qualification model, the top eight teams in the ODI rankings by the end of September 2026, along with two of the three co-hosts – South Africa and Zimbabwe – will enter the main round directly.
The 11th spot will be secured by the winners of the 10-team qualifiers, while the remaining 12th berth is reserved for the winning team of the Super Series, where the next three best teams from the aforementioned qualifiers will compete in a round-robin format.
Meanwhile, Round Two of the ICC Men’s World Cup 2027 will consist of two groups of six teams each. The top three teams from each group advance to the Super Seven stage, along with the highest-ranked remaining team in both groups. From there, the top four teams will qualify for the semifinals, with the winners competing in the finals.