The ICC has confirmed and announced a new format and two additional knockout matches for the 2028 T20 World Cup, which will be hosted in Australia and New Zealand.
The decision was ratified by the ICC Board, which included three representatives from associate nations, on Wednesday at the Annual General Meeting in Edinburgh, after being proposed by the Chief Executives’ Committee comprising Chief Executives & representatives from full & associate members.
While the 2028 T20 World Cup remains a 20-team tournament, as it was in 2026, the format has been changed and two ‘Eliminators’ (effectively quarter-finals) have been added to the roster ahead of the semi-final.
The ICC said these “changes were introduced to create more meaningful contests, elevate competitive standards, and strengthen the competitive structure.”
What will be the format of 2028 T20 World Cup?
In the T20 World Cup 2028, the 20 teams will be divided into five groups of four teams, while in 2026, there were four groups of five teams. The top two teams from each group will progress to the next round, that is, Super 10.
In the Super 10 stage, the 10 teams will be grouped into two groups of five teams each. Now comes the interesting part. Instead of the top two teams from each of the Super 10 groups qualifying for the semi-finals, in 2028, only the top one team from each of two groups will earn direct qualification to the semis.
The remaining two semi-final slots will be decided by two Eliminator matches, which will effectively be quarter-final knockout games, as the second-placed teams from each Super 10 group will clash with the third-placed teams from the other group. The winners of these two Eliminators will complete the semi-final set with the two teams who had already booked their spot after finishing at the top of their respective Super 10 groups.
The ICC explained that this new format for the 2028 T20 World Cup is designed with the motive “to increase the number of teams in the second stage of the competition, promising to expand the representation of emerging teams in the Super 10 stage.“
Which teams have qualified for the 2028 T20 World Cup?
12 teams have so far qualified for the T20 World Cup 2028: Australia and New Zealand as co-hosts; India, South Africa, England, Pakistan, the West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe by the virtue of reaching the second round in the 2026 T20 World Cup; Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Ireland on the basis of T20I rankings.
The remainder of eight spots will be filled through a 16-team Global Qualifier tournament.
Where and where is next T20 World Cup?
Australia and New Zealand will be co-hosting the T20 World Cup 2028. Australia solely hosted the 2022 edition, while this will be the first time New Zealand will host a men’s T20 World Cup.
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