ICC contemplates introducing WTC semis with big change in ODI World Cup format

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is reportedly contemplating a massive structural shake-up for the ODI World Cups, which could see the team count for the tournament reduced. According to a report by the BBC from the ICC's annual meeting in Edinburgh, the governing body is discussing scaling down the number of participating teams to 12.

ODI World Cup to have less number of teams?

Crucially, this contraction could be implemented as early as the upcoming 2027 World Cup, which is scheduled to be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.

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If these changes are approved for the 2027 edition, it will drastically alter the qualification landscape. Instead of the originally planned four spots, only two teams would advance to the main tournament through the global qualifiers. The proposed format would also introduce a brand-new 'Super Seven' stage. Meanwhile, adjustments are being considered for the T20 format as well; the ICC is mulling an expansion of the T20 World Cup second round to a "Super 10" stage for the 2028 tournament, which will feature 20 teams, 12 of which have already qualified.

ICC to add semifinal to WTC format?

The red-ball format is also on the radar for a significant revamp, with the ICC actively discussing the introduction of semifinals to the World Test Championship (WTC). While there is currently no formal legal pathway to expand the tournament's overall participants from nine teams to twelve, an internal ICC working group is actively brainstorming expansion strategies. The addition of a semifinal stage is seen as a way to inject massive excitement into the tournament, intensifying the battle for teams sitting in the middle of the standings who would suddenly have a realistic shot at playoff qualification.

Not just that, the upcoming FTP cycle, which spans from 2027 to 2031, is poised to introduce a new rhythm to limited-overs cricket by cutting down on traditional bilateral white-ball series. In their place, the ICC aims to popularize inter-continental quadrangular tournaments. These four-team events are expected to diversify competition by frequently pairing two prominent full-member nations alongside developing cricket countries, shifting the focus toward tournament-style cricket.

While recent rumors suggested that ODI cricket might be trimmed down to 40 overs per innings, the traditional 50-over format is locked in and will remain unchanged for the foreseeable future. However, structural support for emerging nations is evolving; the ODI World Cup Super League, which guaranteed associate nations crucial game time against top-tier teams between 2020 and 2023, is not coming back. To bridge this gap, the governing body has called upon its full members to actively schedule more fixtures between their 'A' squads and associate teams to ensure developmental pathways remain intact.