2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup venues announced

Cricket South Africa (CSA) CEO Pholetsi Moseki expressed hope and excitement as the brand identity and host venues for the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup were revealed in Johannesburg on Thursday.

The announcement included 12 venues across eight South African cities, three in Zimbabwe, and one in Namibia’s capital, Windhoek. The tournament will return to Africa for the first time in 24 years, with South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia jointly hosting.

The previous African-hosted World Cup took place in 2003, co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya. The 14th edition of the tournament will feature the world’s top 14 teams and celebrate the shared spirit and diversity of the three host nations under the theme ‘Three Nations, One Heartbeat’. It will embrace the African philosophy of ‘Ubuntu’, meaning “I am, because we are”, highlighting compassion, unity and human connection.

The event aligns with the ‘Make the Circle Bigger’ vision, showcasing Africa’s cultural diversity, including its numerous traditions, 29 officially recognised languages, and varied identities united through cricket.

Speaking during the ceremony via Cricket South Africa’s Instagram page, Moseki said, “Well, it is taken us a while to get here, but we are hoping to finally get the country excited. We are hoping to get the African continent excited. We are hoping to get the world excited, you know. So it is really, really quite big, it is quite important, you know. But it is really the start of our marketing campaign for the World Cup itself. So hoping the country will get behind it and everyone will start getting excited about the event, about South Africa and Zimbabwe and Namibia hosting the world next year.”

South African venues include Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, SuperSport Park in Centurion, Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town, Kingsmead Cricket Ground in Durban, St George’s Park in Gqeberha, Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein, Boland Park in Paarl, and Buffalo Park in KuGompo City (formerly East London), according to the ICC website.

Zimbabwe will host matches at Harare Sports Club, Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo and Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls. Namibia’s capital, Windhoek, will stage games at the Namibia Cricket Ground.

The unveiling ceremony was attended by South African cricket legends Graeme Smith, Makhaya Ntini, Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma and Kagiso Rabada, ICC World Test Championship-winning captain Temba Bavuma, along with Zimbabwe’s Hamilton Masakadza and Namibia’s Rudolf Jansen van Vuuren.

The tournament’s visual identity features a single geometric design inspired by the African wire bowl, with a vibrant palette incorporating colours such as Zimbabwe Chilli, African Root, Fynbos Pop, Namib Dune, Harare Dawn and Two Oceans.

Since co-hosting the 2003 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, South Africa has hosted several major ICC events, including the inaugural ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2007, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2023, the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cups in 2020 and 2024, and the ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in 2023. Zimbabwe, which also co-hosted in 2003, will return as a host nation, while Namibia will stage its first senior ICC event. Both countries hosted the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup earlier in 2026.

The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 will consist of 57 matches and introduce a new three-stage format designed to increase competitiveness and enhance fan engagement.

The tournament will begin with a Super Series involving the three lowest-ranked teams (12th to 14th) competing in a round-robin format; the winner will advance to the next stage.

The subsequent round features 12 teams divided into two groups of six, playing round-robin matches. The top three teams from each group, along with the best fourth-placed team across both groups, will qualify for the Super 7 stage.

The Super 7 phase comprises 21 round-robin matches, with the top four teams progressing to the semi-finals. The first-placed team will face the fourth-placed team, and the second-placed team will meet the third-placed team to determine who advances to the final.