According to the ICC, there will be as many as 20 teams in the upcoming edition and instead of the first round followed by the Super 12 – like in 2021 & 2022 – the 20 participating teams will be separated into four groups of five teams each.
The top two sides from each of the four groups will go forward to a Super 8 phase, where they will be further divided into two groups of 4 teams each. Then, the top two teams in each of the two Super 8 groups will progress to the semi-finals, which will be followed by the summit clash.
Notably, in the previous two editions of the T20 World Cup, the first round had four groups, including teams that came to the tournament through the qualifying corridor and teams that finished between the ninth and 12th in the last T20 World Cup. Thereafter, the top two sides from each group in the first round joined the rest of the 8 teams that had already qualified for the Super 12 stage.
So far, 12 teams have already preserved their positions in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Being the host, USA and West Indies have automatically qualified. Similarly, reigning champions England, and other sides such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Australia, South Africa and the Netherlands, have also qualified, after finishing in the top eight of the 2022 edition of the T20 World Cup. Apart from these 10 sides, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, the next two best teams on ICC’s T20I rankings on the cut-off date of November 14, 2022, have also secured their spots.
When it comes to the remaining eight positions will be decided through regional qualifiers. Africa, Asia and Europe will have two qualification spots, while the Americas and East-Asia Pacific regions will have one spot.
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