ICC Names 12 Venues for 2027 ODI World Cup
The International Cricket Council has announced 12 venues for the 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia as the tournament returns to Africa after 24 years.
ODI World Cup 2027 Venues Announced
Eight South African cities will host matches during the 50-over tournament. The selected grounds are the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, Centurion in Tshwane, Newlands in Cape Town and Kingsmead in Durban.
St George’s Park in Gqeberha, Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein, Boland Park in Paarl and Buffalo Park in KuGompo City, formerly East London, complete South Africa’s venue list.
Zimbabwe will stage matches at Harare Sports Club, Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo and the new Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls. Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek will represent Namibia.
Africa Hosts World Cup After 24 Years
The 2027 edition will be Africa’s first Men’s ODI World Cup since South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya jointly hosted the competition in 2003.
The tournament’s official identity, “Three Nations, One Heartbeat”, was unveiled at a ceremony in Johannesburg. It represents the diversity and shared sporting culture of the three host nations.
The event will also draw inspiration from the African philosophy of Ubuntu, which emphasises community, cooperation and collective identity.
New ODI World Cup Format Confirmed
The World Cup will feature 14 teams and 57 matches under a new three-stage format. The three lowest-ranked qualified teams will initially compete in a Super Series, with one side advancing.
The remaining 12 teams will then be divided into two groups of six. Seven sides will progress to the Super 7 stage, where they will play 21 round-robin matches.
The four leading teams will qualify for the semi-finals, followed by the World Cup final.
