Johannesburg, March 21 (IANS) Qondisa Ngwenya has been named Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup while Edward Khoza is appointed as the tournament’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), said the Local Organising Committee (LOC) on Saturday.

Ngwenya and Khoza bring experience in managing major events, with track records in strategic planning and stakeholder engagement. “The LOC Board is delighted to welcome Qondisa and Edward. We look forward to their expertise in delivering a demanding mega sporting event of this magnitude.

“They have proved to be more than capable of delivering the Board’s vision to unite the global community through the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027, inspire the next generation, and leave a lasting legacy of sport, sustainability, and social cohesion.

“We equally extend our appreciation to Cricket South Africa for supporting the process, and the International Cricket Council for endorsing the appointments,” said Trevor Manuel, Chairperson of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027 LOC Board, in a statement.

The appointments follow a recruitment process endorsed unanimously by the LOC Board, which said both candidates had demonstrated the capability to lead planning and operational delivery for the tournament.

The 2027 ICC Men’s ODI World Cup will mark the 14th edition of the tournament and is scheduled to be played in October and November 2027. The showpiece event will be staged in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

It will be the second time South Africa and Zimbabwe will co-host the competition after the 2003 edition, while Namibia will serve as a Men’s ODI World Cup venue for the first time. 44 matches would be hosted by South Africa in its eight venues, while Zimbabwe and Namibia would host the remaining 10 matches.

Hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe will gain automatic entry to the tournament, along with the top eight teams in the Men’s ODI rankings as of March 31, 2027. The remaining four spots will be decided through a qualifying tournament. Co-hosts Namibia will not receive direct entry for the tournament as they are not yet a full ICC member and must go through the qualifiers.

--IANS

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