The Men’s ODI World Cup will be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in 2027, with the tournament set to be played from October 4 to November 21, making a return to African soil.

The dates were discussed in Ahmedabad in May, with final approval expected at the Annual General Meeting of the Apex Body of international cricket in Edinburgh next month. The last major ICC Men’s global 50-over tournament in Africa was held in 2003, and it was also the first ICC event of the  2027-2031 Future Tours Programme.

Venue plans for 2027 World Cup

South Africa is likely to host most matches, with 41 of the 51 games scheduled to be played across eight different venues in the Rainbow Nation. Zimbabwe will get the hosting rights of eight to ten games, with Namibia set to organise three fixtures.

Zimbabwe’s role has been expanded from the original plans. The country will host matches at three venues during the competition, with Victoria Falls joining Harare Sports Club and Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.

The addition has come on the back of the  Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium, which is expected to be match-ready later this year. Zimbabwe will host domestic matches at the new stadium before the inaugural in May 2027. Earlier, there were reports of Zimbabwe playing against South Africa at the  Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in August this year, but the plans have been dropped.

Return to the old format

The previous two editions of the World Cup featured 10 teams, but the ICC has decided to return to the 14-team format.

South Africa and Zimbabwe have automatically qualified for the tournament as they are the Full Members of the ICC, but Namibia, who is a part of the Associate Group, needs to go through a qualification round to confirm its place in the main round.

South Africa previously hosted the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2009 Champions Trophy and the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup. On the other hand, Zimbabwe and Namibia were the host nations of the Under-19 Men’s World Cup in recent years.

Apart from the World Cup, the officials are also working on the next  Future Tours Programme. There is a possibility of 12 Full Members getting the nod in the new structure of the World Test Championship, and if a one-off Test can contribute to the points table. A decision is expected to come at the ICC AGM in July before the full calendar is revealed.