KARACHI:
Pakistan has secured direct qualification for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2028 after the International Cricket Council (ICC) approved revamped formats for its two flagship men’s tournaments, introducing new competition structures for the 2027 ODI World Cup and the 2028 T20 World Cup.
The changes aimed at increasing competitiveness and creating more meaningful contests were approved by the ICC Board at its Annual General Meeting in Edinburgh following recommendations from the Chief Executives’ Committee, the game’s governing body said in a press release posted on X.
“The changes were introduced to create more meaningful contests, elevate competitive standards, strengthen the competitive structure of both events, and enhance the tournament experience for athletes and fans,” the ICC said.
Under the revised structure, the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, to be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, will continue to feature 14 teams but will adopt a new three-stage format. The bottom three teams will compete in a round-robin Super Series, with the winner advancing to the next stage.
The remaining 12 teams will then be divided into two groups of six, with the top three from each group and the next best-placed team overall progressing to a seven-team Super 7 stage. The top four teams from the Super 7 will qualify for the semi-finals.
For the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2028, to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, the tournament will remain a 20-team competition but with a revised format aimed at expanding opportunities for emerging teams in the second phase.
The opening stage will feature five groups of four teams, replacing the previous four groups of five. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super 10 stage, where they will compete in two groups of five. The winners of each Super 10 group will advance directly to the semi-finals.
The remaining two semi-final places will be decided through a newly introduced Eliminators round, with the second-placed teams from each Super 10 group facing the third-placed teams from the opposite group. The winners will complete the semi-final line-up.
The ICC also confirmed the qualification pathway for the 2028 T20 World Cup, with Pakistan among 12 teams to have already secured automatic qualification based on their performance at the 2026 T20 World Cup and team rankings.
