ICC T20 World Cup 2024 will be played in the West Indies and USA. However, it would be played in a new format, unlike all this time. Here's more about it.
The 2024 ICC T20 World Cup will be played in a different format in which 20 participating countries will be divided into four groups of five teams each, and a Super Eight stage will follow the first round. In the 2021 and 2022 editions, the first round was followed by the Super 12, but in the next tournament, the top two teams from each of the four groups will progress to the Super Eight phase, where they will be further divided into two groups of four each. Then, the top two sides in the two Super Eights groups will make the semi-finals, followed by the final.
As many as 12 teams have already secured their berth in the tournament's next edition, which will be played in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA). As hosts, the West Indies and the USA occupy the first two spots. The top eight teams in the recently-held T20WC in Australia (top four in each Super 12 group), including reigning champion England and runner-up Pakistan, have already gained spots for the 2024 tournament, with Afghanistan and Bangladesh, the following best teams on the ICC men's T20I Rankings, also securing their place.
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The ICC said in a press release that the final eight spots for the 2024 tournament would be decided in regional play. "While South Africa claimed 2024 qualification by their top eight finish, Zimbabwe were unable to capitalise on their strong start to the campaign, finishing last in the Super 12 group to be sent back to regional qualification," the ICC said in the release.
Africa, Asia and Europe will have two qualification spots, with one place for the Americas and East-Asia Pacific regions each. In the last two editions of the T20WC, the first round saw two groups of four, including countries that entered the event through the qualifying stage and teams that finished between ninth and 12th in the previous tournament. The top two sides from each group in the first round then joined the rest of the eight teams that had already qualified for the Super 12 stage.
(With inputs from PTI)