Islamabad (Sports Desk) — Ten teams, including hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe, have directly qualified for the 2027 ODI World Cup, while a total of 14 teams will participate in the mega event.
The top eight teams in the ICC ODI rankings as of September 30, 2026, also qualified directly. They include Pakistan, India, New Zealand, Australia, England, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
Two-time world champions West Indies will have to go through the qualifying stage to secure a place in the World Cup.
Three different stages will be played before the semifinals of the 2027 World Cup.
First Stage: Super Series
The teams finishing second and third in the qualifying round, along with the runner-up team, will participate in the Super Series, where a total of three matches will be played. The winner of this stage will advance to the second stage.
Second Stage: Group Stage
The group stage will feature the 10 directly qualified teams, along with the winner of the qualifying round and the winner of the Super Series.
The 12 teams will be divided into two groups of six, with a total of 30 matches played in a round-robin format.
The top three teams from each group, along with the teams finishing fourth in both groups, will qualify for the Super 7 stage.
Third Stage: Super 7
In the Super 7 stage, all seven teams will play one match against each other, resulting in a total of 21 matches.
According to a possible ICC projection, India, Australia, Pakistan, England, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka could feature in the Super 7 stage. However, this lineup is not final and could change based on the results of the group stage.