The ICC is currently thinking about changing the way that the World Test Championship (WTC) works. Currently, there are 9 teams in the competition, but they’re talking about increasing values up to 12.
The biggest driving force behind the change will be giving countries that don’t already have national teams the opportunity to play internationally so they can be included in this successful competition and create more awareness for cricket throughout the world.
There is also an indication that there will be a full plan prepared for both the WTC and the 2028 Summer Olympics that will enhance cricket’s visibility and appeal throughout the world.
Three New Teams May Join the WTC
The World Test Championship (WTC) presently includes nine competing nations: Australia, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, England, Bangladesh, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and West Indies. Each WTC member nation competes in six full test series: three home series and three away series on international tours.
As reported, there are presently discussions regarding possibly admitting additional nations into the WTC; proposals have been put forth to add Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Ireland to the WTC format.
Moreover, when the ICC has its next quarterly meeting slated for early 2026, decisions will be made regarding finalization of many of the remaining issues associated with the expansion of the WTC.
Originally, the quarterly meeting of the ICC was going to take place from March 25–27, 2026 friendly in Doha, Qatar; however, the political climate of the Middle East now prohibits such a meeting from happening when scheduled.
After all possible alternatives to hold an in-person quarterly meeting failed, ICC officials conducted their quarterly meeting via the Internet; no announcement regarding the status of the subject has been made by the ICC as yet.
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The ICC’s Special Plan for the 2028 Olympics
It seems like the International Cricket Council (ICC) is taking the comeback of cricket in the 2028 Olympic Games seriously. In this particular instance, only six teams each will be allowed to play for both the men’s and women’s divisions.
As far as the qualification process is concerned, the highest ranked teams from Asia, Oceania, Europe, and Africa are supposed to qualify automatically for the Olympics. On the other hand, the USA is set to qualify automatically owing to their status as hosts.
Nevertheless, the ICC has not made up its mind as far as the sixth team is concerned. There are chances that an international qualifier event will be held to determine the fate of the last team.
