ICC Unveils New Format for Men's T20 World Cup 2028

Revamped T20 World Cup Structure

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has revealed a significant overhaul of the Men's T20 World Cup format, set to debut in the 2028 tournament. Scheduled for October-November, this edition will be jointly hosted by New Zealand and Australia. The tournament will continue to feature 20 teams but will now consist of four distinct rounds. In the initial round, four teams will be organized into five groups, a shift from the previous structure of five groups with four teams each. As before, the top two teams from each group will advance, resulting in ten teams moving on to the second round instead of eight.

In place of the former 'Super 8', a 'Super 10' stage will be introduced, where the ten teams will be split into five groups of two. A new playoff system, reminiscent of the IPL format, will be implemented prior to the knockout stage to determine the semi-finalists. The leading team from each group will secure a spot in the semi-finals, while the second and third-placed teams will compete in eliminator matches (team 2 from group A against team 3 from group B, and vice versa). The winners of these matches will join the group winners in the semi-finals. Notably, the total number of matches will remain at 55, consistent with the previous format.

Old Format vs New Format

According to the ICC, this new structure aims to enhance the representation of emerging cricket nations in the Super 10 stage while raising the competitive level. The introduction of eliminators, where the second and third-ranked teams from the Super 10 groups face off for semi-final spots, adds significant stakes to the concluding matches of this stage. Additionally, the ICC has modified the qualification process for the T20 World Cup, introducing a global qualifier to determine participating teams, moving away from the previous regional qualifiers.