Steve Waugh Slams ICC Decision to Cut 2027 ODI World Cup to 12 Teams

Former international cricket star Steve Waugh has voiced strong criticism against the International Cricket Council (ICC) following the governing body's decision to alter the format of the upcoming 2027 ODI World Cup. Instead of maintaining a 14-team competition, the ICC has announced that the prestigious tournament will now feature only 12 teams.

Expressing his disappointment over the structural change, Steve Waugh labeled the decision as a regressive move for the sport. The former captain stated that he completely fails to understand the underlying logic and rationale behind reducing the participant pool for the global showcase event from fourteen to twelve teams.

Highlighting a stark contrast in global sports governance, Waugh pointed toward football and the decisions made by FIFA. He noted that while FIFA looked at the final edition of the football World Cup and expanded the tournament from 32 teams to 48 teams, cricket leadership is unfortunately heading in the exact opposite direction.

Waugh further emphasized that if the cricket community genuinely desires to give the sport a truly global reach and footprint, it is imperative to include everyone and actively encourage other emerging and developing teams. According to the former cricket star, the only possible way for lower-ranked sides to improve is by participating in more competitive matches and playing against much stronger teams.

Meanwhile, the official hosting rights for the upcoming 2027 ODI World Cup—which is now slated to be contested by the reduced lineup of twelve participating nations instead of fourteen—have been officially awarded to South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia as the joint host countries for the multi-nation tournament.