The 2027 ICC Men's ODI World Cup will be staged across 12 venues in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, with South Africa hosting matches at eight stadiums, the International Cricket Council announced on Thursday. The marquee 50-over tournament will return to Africa after a gap of 24 years and feature 57 matches under a new three-stage format. South Africa last co-hosted the men's ODI World Cup in 2003 alongside Zimbabwe and Kenya. This time, eight South African cities, three venues in Zimbabwe and Namibia's capital Windhoek will welcome teams during one of international cricket's biggest tournaments. The venues were formally unveiled at an event in Johannesburg attended by several prominent African cricketers, including Graeme Smith, Makhaya Ntini, Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma and Kagiso Rabada from South Africa, along with Zimbabwe's Hamilton Masakadza and Namibia's Rudolf Jansen van Vuuren.

South Africa's eight venues will be the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, Centurion in Tshwane, 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 known as East London. Zimbabwe will host matches at the Harare Sports Club in Harare, Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo and the newly constructed Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls. Namibia's matches will be staged at the Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek. ICC chairman Jay Shah described the return of the tournament to Africa after more than two decades as a landmark moment for cricket. He said the three host countries were expected to showcase the region's passion, warmth and diversity while delivering a memorable World Cup. The tournament's return is particularly significant for South Africa and Zimbabwe, which were also part of the hosting arrangement when the World Cup was last played on the continent in 2003.

The 2027 ODI World Cup format will also be different, with 57 matches spread across three stages. According to the structure announced, a Super Series will first involve the teams ranked from 12th to 14th in a round-robin competition, with the winner progressing to the next stage. A 30-match round will then feature 12 teams divided into two groups of six, with each group following a round-robin format. The top three teams from each group, along with the next best-placed team across the groups, will progress to the Super 7 stage. That phase will feature another 21 round-robin matches. The four highest-ranked teams in the Super 7 will then qualify for the semi-finals. The team finishing first will face the fourth-placed side, while the second and third-placed teams will meet in the other semi-final, with the winners advancing to the World Cup final. The expanded structure is intended to increase competitiveness and give teams more meaningful matches during the tournament. With iconic grounds such as the Wanderers, Newlands and Kingsmead joined by newer venues including Victoria Falls, the 2027 edition will mark the return of cricket's premier 50-over competition to African soil for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century.