Bangladesh and India to co-host the 2031 ODI World Cup as the ICC publishes its full five-year calendar
Great news has arrived for Bangladesh cricket — the 2031 ODI World Cup will be jointly hosted by Bangladesh and India. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the final calendar of major global events to be held from 2027 to 2031, and in that schedule Bangladesh's name appears as co-host of cricket's biggest tournament.
Following a policy meeting held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, world cricket's governing body, the ICC, confirmed the long-term schedule to the cricket boards of its member countries. Every board now has the full picture for planning ahead — and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has received the formal signal to begin preparations for hosting the World Cup.
The new plan includes a total of 12 men's, 7 women's and 5 Under-19 major tournaments and qualifiers. In other words, the calendar for almost every major event in world cricket over the next five years has now been finalised under one roof.
Pakistan has received a major responsibility in the women's cricket schedule. According to the published calendar, the country has won the hosting rights for the 2028 Women's T20 World Cup. The 12-team global event will run from 7 September to 1 October.
Just 11 days after the women's World Cup ends, the men's T20 World Cup will begin. Jointly staged by Australia and New Zealand, the 20-team event will start on 12 October and conclude on 12 November. The latter part of 2028 is thus set to become a season of back-to-back World Cups for cricket fans.
Another historic aspect of the schedule is cricket's return to the Olympics. For the first time since 1900, cricket is coming back to the Olympic stage. As part of that, the qualifiers for the men's and women's cricket events of the Los Angeles Olympics will be held in January and February 2028. Eight countries in each of the men's and women's categories will compete in those qualifiers, whose final venue the ICC will announce soon.
England has once again been given the responsibility of staging the final of the prestigious World Test Championship. The 2029 title-deciding match will be held from 8 to 12 June at venues in the country, including the historic Lord's.
In addition, a change has been made to the previously set schedule of the 2030 men's T20 World Cup, to be held in England, Ireland and Scotland. Although it was earlier supposed to take place in June, under the revised schedule it will now be staged across July and August.
For Bangladesh, however, the biggest attraction is the 2031 ODI World Cup. Co-hosting an ODI World Cup means far more than staging matches — it is tied to infrastructure development, stadium renovation, the country's image at the international level and a major boost to the cricket economy. The Bangladesh team will also get to play a home World Cup in front of its own crowds, a special inspiration for the players.
The experience of joint hosting with India is not new for Bangladesh — the cricketing ties and geographical proximity between the two countries make this arrangement a practical one. But with the World Cup still a few years away, the BCB will have to focus from now on every step of preparation — venue selection, match distribution and spectator facilities.
This ICC calendar is a clear roadmap not just for Bangladesh but for the entire cricketing world. Olympic qualifiers and two World Cups in 2028, the Test Championship final in 2029, the T20 World Cup in the UK and Ireland in 2030, and the ODI World Cup in Bangladesh and India in 2031 — every year holds a major event.
Above all, for Bangladesh's cricket lovers, today's announcement means one thing — in 2031, the battle for the World Cup trophy will be fought on home soil. The countdown to that dream has begun today.
