USA to Co-Host T20 CRICKET World Cup Next Month

With the United States of America and the West Indies serving as co-hosts, the ICC Men's Twenty20 World Cup is expected to be a highly distinctive cricket event.

The 2024 Twenty20 World Cup was one competition that attracted attention when the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the hosts for all significant ICC tournaments from 2024 to 2031 in November of 2021. This is the first major ICC tournament that the United States of America, an Associate Member in cricket, has hosted. But here are some reasons why the USA is prepared to host the next T20 World Cup despite having a startlingly low amount of cricket-related resources and infrastructure.

Bolt is a Jamaican native who was once a young cricket enthusiast. He is currently an ambassador for the T20 World Cup. The Olympian's job includes encouraging fan interest in the United States. He previously appeared with musicians Sean Paul and Kes in the official anthem video for the tournament, Out of this World. The former sprinter says, "Anyway I can help, I will," and has committed to attending many of the games in the West Indies.

The USA is prepared to host this event in part because there is potential to make a "statement" and ignite a greater interest in cricket. The fact that the majority of the matches—including the eagerly anticipated India vs. Pakistan match that will take place in New York—are already sold out says volumes about how popular cricket is in the United States.

"With the USA hosting a major ICC event for the first time, the release of the fixtures is made even more exciting for fans as we enter a new frontier." In January 2024, ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice stated, "With 16 matches spread across three venues in the USA, it allows us to make a statement in the world's biggest sports market." The United States and the West Indies will host the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup, according to an announcement made by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in November 2021. As part of a strategic cooperation between the two associations, Cricket West Indies and USA Cricket jointly submitted a bid after two years of planning.

The top eight teams from the 2022 tournament, along with the two hosts, proceeded to the event automatically. As of November 14, 2022, the top-ranked teams in the ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings that had not yet guaranteed a spot in the finals claimed the remaining two automatic qualification spots.

Twenty teams will compete in this T20 World Cup, up from sixteen in the previous one. The top eight teams from the 2022 event and the next two best teams in the ICC T20 Team Rankings will compete alongside the two hosts, the United States and the West Indies. Eight more countries advanced through the regional qualifying stages, including Canada and Uganda, who were making their first-ever World Cup appearances.

The Grand Prairie Stadium in Grand Prairie, Texas; Church Street Park in Morrisville, North Carolina; Central Broward Park in Lauderhill, Florida; and a temporary stadium at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, New York City, were the four American locations that the ICC shortlisted in July 2023. Bronx residents opposed the stadium in Van Cortlandt Park because they believed it would limit public access to the park for a long time, expressed concerns about the event's potential effects on the environment, and questioned the event's financial sustainability.

The three American host cities for the event will be Grand Prairie, Lauderhill, and New York City, according to an announcement made by the International Cricket Committee (ICC) on September 20, 2023. Eisenhower Park in Nassau County, New York, is the planned location for a temporary stadium with a capacity of 34,000 seats. During the event, Central Broward Park and Grand Prairie Stadium will have their capacities doubled thanks to the addition of temporary grandstands and hospitality rooms.