​ICC has signed off on sweeping structural changes to its two biggest men’s tournaments, the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.These changes were finalised by the ICC Board following its annual meetings held in Edinburgh, based on recommendations put forward by the organisation’s Chief Executives’ Committee.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAccording to the ICC, the revamp is designed to make matches more meaningful and ensure greater stakes are attached to every stage of these global events.The 50-over World Cup will continue to feature 14 participating nations, but the pathway to the final will now look considerably different. The tournament will open with a newly introduced Super Series round, involving the three lowest-ranked qualifying teams, numbers 12, 13 and 14.These sides will compete in a round-robin format, with only the top-performing team advancing further. From there, Round 2 will consist of two groups of six teams each, with the top three finishers from each group, plus the next-best team overall across both groups, progressing into a newly created Super 7 stage.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdd The Sporting News as a preferred news sourceThis Super 7 phase will also follow a round-robin format, with the top four teams booking semi-final spots, arranged as 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3, before the tournament concludes with the final.”The structure has been designed to strengthen the competitive narrative across every stage of the event, with matches from Round 1 and Round 2 carrying higher consequence, with a highly competitive Super 7 stage witnessing 7 qualifying teams going through a round-robin stage to qualify for the semi-finals,” the ICC said in a release.”The increased consequence and enhanced competitive intensity promise to enhance the overall experience for fans while continuing to provide emerging teams with the opportunity to compete on cricket’s biggest stage.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMORE: Visit Cricket News for all the latest cricket coverage and opinionPrevious FormatNew FormatTwo groups of 7 (42 matches)Round 1: Teams 12, 13, 14 — Round-robin ‘Super Series’; top team progresses to Round 2Top 3 teams qualify for Super SixRound 2: Two groups of 6 (30 matches); top 3 teams from each group plus next highest-placed team overall qualify for Super 7Super Six — Two groups of three (9 matches)Round 3: Super 7 — Round robin (21 matches); top 4 teams progress to semisTop two teams from each group progress to semis—Semifinals (2 matches)Semifinals (2 matches): 1 vs 4 & 2 vs 3FinalFinalWhile the T20 World Cup will hold steady at 20 teams overall, its middle phase is getting bigger with the old Super Eight setup makes way for a Super 10 stage instead.As for the group stage, teams will now be split across five groups of four each, with the top two from every group moving through to the next round.The Super 10 stage will then be split into two groups of five teams apiece, wit