The countdown to the ICC ODI World Cup 2027 has commenced, with Cricket South Africa (CSA) releasing eight venues across the nation that will host most of the tournament’s games. Under a tri-nation hosting agreement with Zimbabwe and Namibia, South Africa will host 44 of the 54 matches, securing its central position in the next edition of the 50-over World Cup.
ICC ODI World Cup 2027: South Africa to Host Most of the Matches
In a confirmation, Cricket South Africa (CSA) officially announced that eight cities in the country will host World Cup 2027 matches. The chosen venues include:
Johannesburg
Pretoria
Cape Town
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Durban
Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth)
Bloemfontein
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East London
Paarl
Eight of these venues will host 44 matches, and the other 10 matches will be hosted by Zimbabwe and Namibia.
World Cup 2027 Host Countries: South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia
The 2027 World Cup is set to be the showpiece event for African cricket, with South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia uniting to host the showcase event. The tri-nation partnership will bring Africa’s love for the game to the world map. Though South Africa and Zimbabwe have earned automatic qualification as co-hosts, Namibia has to qualify through the African qualification process.
CSA Establishes Local Organising Committee, with Trevor Manuel at the Helm
CSA has established a Local Organising Committee (LOC) to manage the successful hosting of the tournament. Interestingly, the former South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel has been chosen as the LOC chairperson, bringing his enormous administrative experience to the mega-tournament.
CSA Chairperson Pearl Maphoshe spoke of the organisation’s vision for hosting the World Cup 2027 by saying:
“Our vision is to provide a global, uplifting tournament that represents the face of South Africa inclusive, diverse, and united.”
South Africa’s Diverse History of Hosting ICC Events
World Cup 2027 will not be the first large-scale ICC event South Africa has hosted. South Africa has already hosted:
2003 ICC ODI World Cup (co-hosted)
2007 ICC T20 World Cup (first edition)
2009 ICC Champions Trophy
2005 ICC Women’s World Cup
2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup (in which South Africa placed runner-up)
This is placed within the perspective of South Africa as a seasoned and capable host for the world’s premier international cricket tournaments.
World Cup 2027 Format: Two Groups, Super Six, Knockouts
14 teams participating in the World Cup 2027 will be in two groups of seven teams each. Each team will play every other in its group in a round-robin structure. The top three teams in each group will proceed to Super Six, then the semi-finals and the final.
Qualification Summary:
South Africa and Zimbabwe: Automatically qualified as hosts
Top 8 Teams: Directly qualify through ICC ODI rankings
The Remaining 4 Places: Determined by world qualifiers
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