WTC Set for Major Expansion With 12 Teams From 2029
The ICC has been planning to expand the World Test Championship for a long time. Reports suggest that the tournament could be expanded to 12 teams soon. And it may happen from the 2029 to 2031 cycle, welcoming new nations to the tournament.
The talks regarding the expansion of the World Test Championship might just have reached a conclusion. Recent reports suggest that the tournament is officially set to be expanded to a 12 team tournament in the coming editions of the same.
Currently the tournament is limited to just nine teams, and doesn't even include all the Test playing nations. But over the last few months, the ICC has been repeatedly discussing expanding the same to 12 teams, bringing down the other Test playing nations to the same.
Now the reports suggest that the tournament will be expanded to 12 teams by 2029. This also means that the WTC cycle from 2029 to 2031 will be having a total of 12 teams, welcoming three more nations to the same. It still remains unclear what structure of the tournament will be followed if three more teams are added to the same.
Our Take
The move by the ICC to expand the tournament to 12 teams is yet to be confirmed. And there is a lot of time for the same to happen, as an entire WTC cycle lies between the same. Still, as the ICC hopes to revive test cricket as much as possible, this move will help to promote the longest format of the game even among the associate nations.