This will mark the return of the 50-over World Cup to Africa after 24 years, the last time being in 2003 when it was co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya.
The locations for the matches were announced during a ceremony in Johannesburg, which was attended by renowned South African cricketers such as Graeme Smith, Makhaya Ntini, Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, and Kagiso Rabada, alongside Zimbabwe’s Hamilton Masakadza and Namibia’s Rudolf Jansen van Vuuren.
???????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????? ???????????????????????????????? ???????? ???????????????????????????? ????????
Three nations. One heartbeat. 1️⃣2️⃣ venues. One unforgettable #CWC27 in sight ????
For more details and to register your interest for the event ➡️ pic.twitter.com/1jyOQcjiaN— ICC (@ICC) July 30, 2026
South Africa’s eight venues
- Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
- Centurion, Tshwane
- Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town
- Kingsmead Cricket Ground, Durban
- St George’s Park, Gqeberha
- Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein
- Boland Park, Paarl
- Buffalo Park, (formerly East London)
Zimbabwe’s three venues
- Harare Sports Club, Harare
- Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo
- Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium, Victoria Falls
Namibia’s venue
- Namibia Cricket Ground, Windhoek
ICC chairman Jay Shah referred to the tournament’s return to Africa as a “landmark moment for cricket,” emphasizing that the three host nations are set to provide an unforgettable experience.
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 will consist of 57 matches and introduce a new three-stage format. A Super Series will include teams ranked 12 to 14 competing in a round-robin style, with the victor moving forward.
The subsequent stage will comprise 12 teams split into two groups of six, playing 30 matches in a round-robin format. The top three teams from each group, along with the next best-placed team across both groups, will advance to the Super 7 stage.
The Super 7 will feature 21 round-robin matches, with the top four teams moving on to the semi-finals. The highest-ranked team in the Super 7 will face the fourth-placed team, while the second and third-placed teams will compete in the other semi-final.
(With PTI inputs)
