2027 ICC Cricket World Cup Previews & Tips

The 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup will be hosted by South Africa, along with co-hosts Zimbawe and Namibia. The cricket-loving nation last hosted the tournament in 2003. 

The tournament is set to run from October 2027 until November 2027.

When One-Day International cricket came into being in 1971, there were calls for a tournament to be launched for the best in the game to gather and show off their skills. As a result, the first Cricket World Cup was held in 1975, but under the name Prudential Cup. England hosted the first three Prudential Cups, as they were considered the only country able to provide the required infrastructure. One-day cricket was different back then, with 60-over innings and teams wearing white. The Prudential Cup name fell away after the first three tournaments.

The first World Cup to be hosted outside of England was in 1987, with India and Pakistan co-hosting the tournament. This was the tournament where ODI cricket became a 50-over game. In 1992, teams wore coloured kits for the first time, while white balls and day/night matches were introduced. The 1992 ICC Cricket World Cup is considered as the turning point for ODI cricket, which was also the year South Africa first took part in the tournament.

Australia have dominated the World Cup over the years, winning six titles to date. The 2027 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup will be the 14th edition of the tournament.

India looked certain to take the title after winning their nine group games and their semi-final against New Zealand. Australia lost group games to India and South Africa, but bounced back in typical Australian style to beat South Africa in a tense semi-final. Australia bowled South Africa out for 212, only to find themselves in trouble at 137/5, but their lower-order held their nerve to claim a three-wicket win with 16 balls to spare. In the final, Australia limited high-scoring India to their lowest score of the tournament, 240, a target which Australia chased down with seven overs to spare and six wickets in hand. Travis Head was once again in form, smashing 137 off 120 balls to guide his side to their sixth World Cup title.

Australia have been the dominant force in ICC Cricket World Cup history. The Aussies have won six titles to date - 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015 and 2023. India (1983 and 2011) and the West Indies (1975 and 1979) both have two titles to their name, while Sri Lanka (1996) and England (2019) have won one each.

The top eight teams in the ICC ODI rankings as of March 31, 2027, will advance straight to the competition, along with co-hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe. Fellow co-host Namibia are not a full member of the ICC and will need to follow the normal qualification process. The last four berths will be determined via qualification events that will take place from 2024 to 2026.

These will be finalised closer to the start of the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup and after the qualification process is complete.

The fixtures for the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup will be announced once the qualification process is complete in 2026.

Australia are always a difficult side to beat in any form of cricket, so they will be considered the favourites ahead of the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup. South Africa will be tough to beat at home, and England and India always contenders at major tournaments. New Zealand are usually a strong performer at World Cups, but without lifting the torphy; they were runners-up in 2015 and 2019, and have made the semi-final stage nine out of 13 tournaments, including the last five in a row.

The current odds for the winner of the 2027 Cricket World Cup are listed below.

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