The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially announced the host cities and venues for the upcoming 2027 Men’s ODI Cricket World Cup. Jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, this prestigious tournament marks the return of World Cup cricket to the African continent after a long gap of 24 years. The last time the region hosted the flagship ODI event was in 2003, when South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya served as co-hosts.

The announcement was made during a grand launch ceremony in Johannesburg, attended by former and present cricket stars, including Graeme Smith, Makhaya Ntini, Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Kagiso Rabada, Hamilton Masakadza, and Rudie van Vuuren.

South Africa To Lead With Eight Venues

South Africa will serve as the primary host nation, staging the majority of the matches across eight premier stadiums. The selected venues include:

The Wanderers Stadium (Johannesburg)

SuperSport Park (Centurion)

Newlands Cricket Ground (Cape Town)

Kingsmead (Durban)

St George's Park (Gqeberha)

Mangaung Oval (Bloemfontein)

Boland Park (Paarl)

Buffalo Park (Qonce / East London)

The Countdown Starts Now! 🏟️

The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 is coming to Southern Africa! 🇿🇦 Together with our neighbours, Namibia and Zimbabwe, we’re ready to welcome the world.

The road to cricket’s biggest prize runs through these iconic stadiums. This is where dreams… pic.twitter.com/zamtfxxA9B

— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) July 30, 2026

Matches Allocated Across Zimbabwe And Namibia

Neighboring host nations Zimbabwe and Namibia will also stage key tournament fixtures. Zimbabwe will host matches across three designated stadiums:

Harare Sports Club (Harare)

Queens Sports Club (Bulawayo)

Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium (Victoria Falls)

Namibia will host its portion of the tournament at the Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek, bringing World Cup matches to the nation for the very first time.

Reactions From ICC Leadership

ICC Chairman Jay Shah highlighted the historical significance of returning to Southern Africa after more than two decades. He expressed confidence that the combined rich culture, deep passion for cricket, and warm hospitality of South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia will ensure a memorable and world-class tournament for global cricket fans.

New Multi-Stage Tournament Format

The 2027 ODI World Cup will introduce a revamped tournament structure consisting of 57 total matches played across three distinct phases:

Super Series: A preliminary round-robin stage featuring the teams ranked 12th, 13th, and 14th in the ICC ODI rankings. Only the top team from this mini-series will secure a spot in the main tournament.

Group Stage: The 12 qualified teams will be divided into two groups of six. Each team will play against every other team in their respective group.

Super-7 Stage: The top three teams from each group, along with the seventh-ranked overall team, will advance to a 21-match Super-7 stage.

The top four teams on the Super-7 points table will proceed to the semi-finals, where the first-placed team will face the fourth-placed team, and the second-placed team will battle the third-placed team for a place in the final.