T20 World Cup 2028 format

Over the next few years, we will see several major changes to the ICC’s flagship tournaments, including a revamped structure for the Men’s T20 World Cup. The T20 World Cup 2028 format will feature five groups in the opening stage, a new Super 10 round, and two Eliminator matches ahead of the semi-finals. In this article, we break down how the revamped tournament and its qualification system will work.

T20 World Cup 2028 Format: What Has Changed?

We recently reported that the ICC had approved format changes for several major men’s tournaments. Among them was the T20 World Cup 2028 format, which will be noticeably different from the structure used at recent World Cups. So, let’s take another quick look at how the competition in Australia and New Zealand will play out.

• First group stage. The tournament will feature 20 national teams, split into five groups of four. Each team will play three matches, with the top two sides from each group moving on to the next round.
• Super 10. The ten remaining teams will be split into two groups of five. Each team will face four opponents, while the winners of both groups will book their places directly in the semi-finals.
• Eliminators. The teams finishing second and third in the two Super 10 groups will play two crossover matches. The second-placed team from one group will take on the third-placed side from the other, with the winners claiming the two remaining semi-final spots.
• Semi-finals. The four remaining teams will compete in two knockout matches. The winners of these games will advance to the tournament’s decisive stage.
  Final. The two strongest teams will battle it out for the 2028 T20 World Cup title.

The revamped structure will feature a total of 55 matches: 30 in the opening group stage, 20 in the Super 10, two Eliminators, two semi-finals, and the final. The number of participating teams will remain unchanged, but ten sides will now stay in contention after the opening round, compared with eight under the previous format.

Changes to the T20 World Cup 2028 Qualification System

The changes may affect not only the main tournament’s structure but also the qualification process. The ICC has proposed holding a single 16-team Global Qualifier, where eight remaining places at the World Cup will be up for grabs.

Eight teams will earn spots in the Global Qualifier based on their results at the 2026 T20 World Cup. Another eight will come through regional qualifiers held in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the East Asia-Pacific region.

It is worth noting that the proposal has already received the backing of the ICC Board. However, it still needs to be reviewed by the organisation’s Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee during its November meetings. More details about the potential changes to the qualification system are available in this article.