Johannesburg, March 21 – Qondisa Ngwenya has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup, while Edward Khoza has been appointed as the tournament’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), the Local Organising Committee (LOC) announced on Saturday.
Ngwenya and Khoza bring experience in managing major events, with a proven track record 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 demonstrated the capability to deliver the Board’s vision of uniting the global community through the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027, inspiring the next generation, and creating a lasting legacy of sport, sustainability, and social cohesion.
“We also extend our appreciation to Cricket South Africa for their support, 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 unanimously endorsed by the LOC Board, which stated that 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, scheduled to be played in October and November 2027. The event will be hosted in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
This will be the second time that South Africa and Zimbabwe will co-host the competition, following the 2003 edition, while Namibia will serve as a venue for the Men’s ODI World Cup for the first time. South Africa will host 44 matches across its eight venues, while Zimbabwe and Namibia will host the remaining 10 matches.
The host nations, South Africa and Zimbabwe, will automatically qualify for 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-host Namibia will not receive direct entry to the tournament as they are not yet a full member of the ICC and must go through the qualifiers.