This time for Africa! Cricket is heading back to Africa, and this time it’s bigger, huge, and spread across three countries. The ICC has confirmed 12 host cities for the 2027 men’s ODI World Cup. It will be the first time in 24 years that Southern Africa stages the tournament, with South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia sharing duties. The event is provisionally scheduled from October 4 to November 21, 2027.

South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia psych up for ODI World Cup 

South Africa will carry most of the load. Eight cities made the cut: Johannesburg, Centurion, Durban, Gqeberha, KuGompo City, Cape Town, Paarl and Bloemfontein. They will host the bulk of the 54 matches. The final will be at either the Wanderers or Newlands.

Zimbabwe gets three venues. Harare, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls will stage between seven and 10 games. Victoria Falls is the new name on the list. Its new 10,000-seater stadium is expected to be finished later this year, with domestic games in the home summer and an official opening likely in the first quarter of 2027.

Namibia will host an ICC senior event for the first time. Windhoek is set for at least three matches. Benoni and Potchefstroom will be used for warm-ups and are likely to co-host the World Cup Qualifier with Namibia early next year, while South Africa’s six main stadiums are tied up with SA20.

South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya hosted in 2003. Since then South Africa has staged the 2007 men’s T20 World Cup, the 2023 women’s T20 World Cup, and both men’s and women’s U-19 World Cups.

12 confirmed host venues (host cities) for the 2027 ICC Men's ODI World Cup

The 2027 Men's ODI World Cup itself is also getting a revamp. Approved in July 2026, it expands to 14 teams and introduces a three-stage format. However, it is 14-team tournament for just namesake, as it will be reduced to a 12-team tournament. It starts with a Super Series between the 12th, 13th and 14th ranked teams. Only the winner joins the 12-team Group Phase, split into two groups of six. The top three from each group plus the best fourth-placed team go into a new Super 7 round. From there, the top four advance to the semi-finals and final.