The 2027 men’s ODI World Cup has been provisionally scheduled from October 4 to November 21, with South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia set to host the tournament.
The dates were approved during a recent International Cricket Council (ICC) board meeting in Ahmedabad in May, while final approval is expected at the body’s Annual General Meeting in Edinburgh in July.
South Africa is expected to host most of the tournament, with at least 41 of the 54 matches likely to be played across eight venues. Zimbabwe is set to stage between eight and 10 games, while Namibia is expected to host three fixtures.
Zimbabwe’s list of venues is also likely to expand from two to three, with Victoria Falls set to join Harare Sports Club and Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo as host grounds.
A new stadium in Victoria Falls, the Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium, is expected to be completed later this year. The venue will first host domestic matches before its formal inauguration, which is planned for next May.
South Africa were initially expected to tour Zimbabwe in August to help open the ground for international cricket, but that plan has now been shelved.
The 2027 edition will be the first men’s ODI World Cup held in Africa since 2003. It will also mark a return to the 14-team format after the previous two editions were played with 10 teams.
Under the proposed structure, the 14 teams will be split into two groups of seven, with the top three sides from each group advancing to the Super Six stage.
South Africa and Zimbabwe will qualify automatically as Full Members, while Namibia will have to secure its place through the qualification process.
The tournament will also kick off the 2027-2031 Future Tours Program, with wider ICC discussions still underway on the structure of the World Test Championship and whether it should be expanded to include all 12 Full Members. A final call on those issues could also come at the July AGM.