The next edition of the ICC T20 World Cup is scheduled to be played from June 4 to 30 in West Indies and USA next year, according to a report from Cricinfo. ICC has also shortlisted 10 venues, including four from USA, for the mega tournament which will have 20 teams for the time in its history.
Cricinfo reports that the ICC team has inspected some of USA's venues this week. Florida's Lauderhill has already hosted international T20 matches and will be hosting India vs West Indies next month in two more T20Is. Dallas and Morrisville are also hosting the ongoing Major League Cricket (MLC) and are among the shortlisted venues for the World Cup.
New York's Van Cortlandt Park is under consideration but it is yet to get international venue status. Dallas' Grand Prairie Stadium and Church Street Park of Morrisville are also yet to receive their international venue status from the ICC. Cricket West Indies (CWI) is a primary host of the tournament and is likely to host the majority of the games, including the summit clash.
Earlier this week, Ireland and Scotland secured T20 World Cup qualification by securing the top two spots in regional qualifiers. Papua New Guinea also bagged the World Cup ticket by winning East Asia-Pacific Qualifier.
This is the first time tournament will be having 20 teams around the globe. West Indies and USA have qualified as host nations while Australia, England, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka, the top eight teams from the previous edition directly secured qualification. Bangladesh and Afghanistan qualified as they top in the ICC T20 standings after pre-qualified teams.
Five remaining spots will be filled by regional qualifiers, two from Asia, two from Africa, and one from America. The tournament format will be different for the 2024 edition where 20 teams will be divided into four groups of five each in the first round. The top two teams from each group will make the Super 8 round and will be split into two groups. The top two teams from each Super 8 group will qualify for the semi-finals.
