T20 World Cup 2028 Australia-NZ Co-Host: Format Guide

The T20 World Cup 2028 returns to Trans-Tasman territory with Australia and New Zealand co-hosting the men's tournament for the first time since the 2015 ODI World Cup. The expected window is October-November 2028, with 20 teams in four groups of five — expanding on the 2026 India tournament's format. Australia hosts the marquee venues including the MCG, SCG and Optus Stadium Perth, while New Zealand contributes Eden Park, Hagley Oval Christchurch and Wellington's Sky Stadium. India's qualification path is automatic via top-eight 2026 finish; the 12 remaining slots come through regional qualifiers and the ICC men's T20I rankings cut-off. Final venue allocation, fixture and broadcaster framework are subject to ICC confirmation expected in late 2026 or early 2027.

Tournament Structure

The 2028 edition is expected to retain the 20-team format used in 2024 and 2026, with an expanded super-eight stage that becomes a super-12 to handle the format scale. The structure has been broadly described in ICC's 2024-2031 commercial cycle communications.

Stage	Teams	Matches	Format
Group Stage	20 (4x5)	40	Round-robin within groups
Super-12	12	30	Two groups of 6, round-robin
Knockouts	4	4 (incl. final)	Semi-finals + Final

Total tournament length is roughly 28-30 days. The Super-8-to-Super-12 expansion compared to 2026 is what stretches the schedule.

Expected Venues

Australia and New Zealand bring complementary venue infrastructure. Australia's major Test grounds — MCG, SCG, Adelaide Oval, Optus Stadium Perth, Brisbane's Gabba — combine with New Zealand's contribution to give a venue pool of approximately 14 grounds.

Country	Venue	City	Capacity (Approx.)
Australia	MCG	Melbourne	100,000
Australia	SCG	Sydney	48,000
Australia	Adelaide Oval	Adelaide	53,000
Australia	Optus Stadium	Perth	60,000
Australia	Gabba	Brisbane	42,000
Australia	Manuka Oval	Canberra	13,000
New Zealand	Eden Park	Auckland	42,000
New Zealand	Hagley Oval	Christchurch	18,000
New Zealand	Sky Stadium	Wellington	34,000
New Zealand	Bay Oval	Mount Maunganui	12,000
New Zealand	Seddon Park	Hamilton	11,000

The final venue allocation will be locked roughly nine months before the tournament begins.

Date Window and Likely Schedule

Window	Activity
Oct 15-Nov 14, 2028	Tournament window (estimated)
Oct 15-25, 2028	Group stage
Oct 28-Nov 08	Super-12 stage
Nov 11-12, 2028	Semi-finals
Nov 14, 2028	Final

These are indicative dates derived from prior ICC T20 WC scheduling cadence and Trans-Tasman climate windows.

India Qualification Path

Path	Status	Notes
Top-eight 2026	Likely (current ranking)	Standard auto-qualification
ICC ranking cut-off	Backup	India 1st in T20I rankings
Regional qualifier	Not required	Asia regional path

India's qualification is essentially assured given current T20I rankings.

Where to Watch (Expected Broadcaster Matrix)

Broadcaster rights for the 2024-2031 ICC commercial cycle are committed, so the matrix below reflects the expected partner set.

Region	TV Broadcaster	OTT / Streaming	Notes
India	Star Sports network	JioHotstar	Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu
Australia	Fox Cricket	Kayo	Cricket sports tier
New Zealand	Sky Sport NZ	Sky Go / NEON	Cricket subscription
United Kingdom	Sky Sports	Sky Go / NOW	Subscription
United States	Willow TV	Willow / Sling	Cricket package
South Africa	SuperSport	DStv Stream	Cricket package
Pakistan	PTV Sports / A Sports	Tamasha	Free-to-air on PTV
Bangladesh	T Sports	Toffee	Free-to-air
Sri Lanka	Sri Lanka Rupavahini	SLT-Mobitel ConnectTV	Free-to-air
West Indies	ESPN Caribbean	ESPN Play Caribbean	Regional cricket rights
UAE	Cricket Star Plus	StarzPlay	Carrier-bundled

JioHotstar Premium pricing in India is 299-499 INR per month. Kayo Sports Australia is 25-35 AUD per month. Sky Sport NZ is 31.99 NZD per month for the standalone Sport NOW package.

Tickets and Pricing (Indicative)

Cricket Australia and NZ Cricket will run a joint ticketing portal. Pricing for marquee fixtures, particularly the India-Pakistan and India-England group-stage matches plus the knockouts, will command premium tier rates.

Tier	Group Match (Aus)	Group Match (NZ)	Knockout (MCG)
General Admission	50 AUD	35 NZD	150 AUD
Reserved Stand	100 AUD	70 NZD	350 AUD
Premium Stand	200 AUD	130 NZD	700 AUD
Pavilion	350 AUD	220 NZD	1,200 AUD
Hospitality	600 AUD	350 NZD	2,500 AUD

Family packages and member-window pre-sales are typical. The ICC fan-club tranche typically runs three months before the tournament.

Cross-References

The current T20 World Cup 2026 frame, which sets the format precedent for 2028, is in our T20 World Cup 2026 venues, schedule and format explained page. India's squad picture entering the 2026 tournament is in our T20 World Cup 2026 India final 15 squad debate. The Trans-Tasman cricket relationship and recent series context is captured in our Australia vs New Zealand 2026 Trans-Tasman series preview.

What to Watch For

The 2028 tournament's key questions are format-driven. The 20-team super-12 expansion creates more fixtures (74 total vs 55 in the 2024 format) and more revenue but stretches the calendar. Whether ICC retains the format for 2030 in the West Indies or contracts back to a 16-team super-8 will depend on viewer-engagement metrics from 2026 and 2028. The Trans-Tasman conditions favour pace and bounce, which gives Australia, New Zealand and South Africa structural advantages over sub-continental sides — a question for India's long-term selection planning. The dual-host operating model is ICC's test bed for future co-hosting arrangements; the 2027 ODI World Cup co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia provides the immediate precedent. Watch the ICC board cycle through 2026-27 for fixture, venue and broadcaster confirmations.