The ICC appears ready to scrap its two-division idea and place all twelve Full Members in a single Test Championship. For Ireland and Zimbabwe, that sounds like progress. The catch is money: no additional hosting funds are expected, so smaller boards may end up playing the Tests they can afford instead of the ones they need. Three sides, Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan, would feel the change most. Entry to the competition and the means to host inside it are different things.
A Two-Division Plan Falls Apart
Roger Twose chaired the working group behind the two-division proposal, and several Full Members pushed back against it. The likely substitute is a single twelve-team league, which would bring in Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan alongside the nine sides already competing. Inclusion sounds generous, yet it puts the newcomers on a calendar they may struggle to fund, because every extra fixture carries a bill for somebody. That is why the money question matters as much as the format.
No decision has been taken. Board members gather in Bali later this month, and the floor for how many Tests each side must play is still open. Even the opening date is contested, with July 2027 and a 2029-31 start both in circulation.
Zimbabwe Is the Busiest Newcomer
Zimbabwe has played more cricket than its fellow newcomers, with 14 Tests since the start of 2024, nine of them at home. The table places the three newcomers next to England and India.
Team | Tests Played in Last Three Years | Home Tests | Away Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
Afghanistan | 8 | 3 | 5 |
Ireland | 6 | 2 | 4 |
Zimbabwe | 14 | 9 | 6 |
England | 34 | 18 | 17 |
India | 31 | 15 | 13 |
Hosting that many matches meant welcoming Afghanistan on three tours, with South Africa and New Zealand each visiting twice, and one tour each from Ireland and Bangladesh. The cost of such a schedule is the open question, and Zimbabwe’s load, set against Ireland’s six, shows how unevenly the burden is spread. Back in 2018, hosting Sri Lanka for two Tests cost the board a little over $445,000 in total. Figures run to 9 November 2026, and home means the hosting board.
One-Off Tests Carry a Price
Under the revised model, a single Test might count for the standings, which removes the need for a two-match series. For a board that can fund only one fixture, that is useful flexibility. It does not remove the overheads, though: a venue, broadcasters and a touring party all have to be paid for, and one game is the only chance to recoup them. Ireland learned how that can end when New Zealand beat them by an innings and 79 runs in a one-off match at Belfast in May 2026.
Todd Greenberg has argued that Test cricket is becoming costlier to sustain, largely because of what a red-ball system demands. He has also cautioned that reciprocal touring could push some countries towards bankruptcy, which may force certain nations to play more of their cricket abroad.
WTC 2027 cycle Ireland hosting funds
Since January 2024, Ireland has played just six Tests: two on home soil, four overseas, and its three 2025 matches were all away, in Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Malahide staged its first home Test in 2018, and the bill topped €900,000. Against that, ICC income reached €12.6 million in 2024, while an India visit might be worth as much as €2.5 million. The comparison shows how much rests on a few lucrative series.
More fixtures mean more costs, and so far nobody has announced any hosting money to match. With six Tests in almost three years, Ireland has little slack for extra spending, and a crowded league calendar would remove what slack remains.
Fixes That Could Close the Gap
A hosting grant ring-fenced for the three newcomers would be the most direct remedy. Failing that, boards could bolt Tests onto white-ball tours, letting one trip cover several fixtures and spreading the travel costs. Both ideas ask far less of the ICC than running a second division would.
Sequencing matters as well. If the ICC settles the funding first and the minimum Test count second, newcomers can plan from real numbers. Skip that order, and the WTC 2027 cycle Ireland hosting funds question stays unanswered, leaving a bigger league with an uneven calendar.
Should the ICC fund hosting for its three newest Full Members, or leave them to find the money? Tell us in the comments.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Will Ireland, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe join the next Test championship cycle?
Nothing is confirmed yet. Approval of the single-division format at the Bali meeting this month would likely bring all three in, though how many Tests each side must play is unsettled.
What led the ICC to drop the two-tier format?
Opposition came from several Full Members. The group Roger Twose led had proposed two divisions, and the fallback is a single division of twelve teams, up from the current nine.
How many sides would play in the new league?
Twelve sides are proposed in one division. That is an increase on today’s nine, with Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan as the newcomers, and the format still needs sign-off in Bali.
Can Ireland afford to host Tests?
Only in small numbers. The 2018 Malahide Test, Ireland’s first at home, cost just over €900,000, and no extra funding has been reported to help with the added fixtures.
When would the next cycle begin?
The start date is not settled. July 2027 and the 2029-31 window are both being discussed, so boards cannot yet plan their home fixtures with any confidence before the Bali meeting concludes.