Photo Credit: USA Cricket
- Historic decision from ICC today returns a Men’s Global Event to the Caribbean for the first time since 2010 and for the first time ever in USA
- The joint bid from Cricket West Indies and USA Cricket to stage one of the world’s biggest sporting events has been more than 2 years in preparation
- A vision for growth of the game across the West Indies and the United States underpins the partnership
- Both boards wish to welcome the world to experience the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in iconic locations across the Americas
Cricket West Indies (CWI) and USA Cricket join today to celebrate the selection of the two organizations as the winners of a joint-bid to host the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024. The global governing body confirmed the details on Tuesday, with the historic announcement a hugely transformational one for the sport in the Americas region who will act as co-hosts of the ninth edition of the event.
This will be the fourth occasion the West Indies will be hosting a World Cup event on behalf of the ICC, and the first time ever that a major ICC event comes to the United States. The 2024 edition will be the first T20 World Cup to feature 20 teams. With an expansion of ICC global events announced earlier in the year, the 20 nations will compete in 4 groups in a 55 match tournament to be played over 25 days starting in June 2024.
The joint bid is part of a strategic partnership between CWI and USA Cricket which aims to unlock the potential of the USA and fast track the growth of the sport; to inspire the next generation of young West Indians and ignite the cricketing passion in the Caribbean; and to combine these two forces for the benefit of world cricket.
The co-hosted T20 World Cup will see approximately two-thirds of the 55 matches being held in the Caribbean, with the World Cup venues being drawn from the 13 established international cricket grounds in the West Indies. In the United States, where the remaining one-third of the matches are likely to be played, there will be up to five venues, some of which are already ICC-approved for international cricket, some of which are under construction, and some of which will be repurposed specifically to host World Cup matches. All of the venues across both countries will be selected following a competitive tender process to be run over the coming months.
The alliance between the hosts and the overall bid planning started two years ago and will deliver an event that will:
- Blend iconic West Indies grounds with new and developing venues that will leave a lasting cricket legacy in the USA.
- Broadcast matches in prime-time to cricket fans, wherever they are in the world.
- Inspire the next generation of cricket players and fans across the West Indies.
- Accelerate cricket’s drive towards mainstream status in the USA.
- Deliver match-day experiences that combine a Caribbean carnival with the best of American sportainment.
- Break new ground on digital innovation and integration.
- Enhance cricket’s prospects of inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
- Unlock long-term commercial opportunities for the ICC and its Members with corporate America
Quote from Ricky Skerritt, President of CWI “Staging the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024 across the Caribbean and USA will be the most significant sports event held in the West Indies for a generation and the most impactful cricket event ever staged in the USA. It will accelerate cricket’s drive towards mainstream status in the USA and should help to unlock new commercial opportunities for the ICC and its membership. I take this opportunity to thank all those at ICC, USA Cricket and CWI who helped to make this 2024 venue selection decision possible.”
Quote from Paraag Marathe, Chair of Board of USA Cricket, “On behalf of the USA Cricket Board, we are overjoyed with today’s news after what has been a massive piece of work with our friends at Cricket West Indies to put together the winning bid for the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The ICC has identified the USA as a strategic market for growth that will benefit cricket around the world. A major event in 2024 will be the critical catalyst to improve facilities, develop a professional league, grow the fanbase and inspire public and corporate support. Bringing 20 different nations together for the first time in what will be the biggest T20 World Cup of all time in 2024 is also the ideal showcase for the prospects of including cricket in the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028 and leaving a legacy of facilities and public enthusiasm for the sport across America ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.”
Quote from Johnny Grave, CEO of CWI “We are extremely delighted to have been chosen by the ICC to host the Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024, in partnership with our friends at USA Cricket. We are developing a really important strategic partnership with USA Cricket and we firmly believe that this is the right time to stage a marquee ICC event in the Americas. We are confident that we can blend the unique Caribbean matchday experience with the very best in American sporting entertainment and infrastructure, creating unparalleled fan experiences for those in and out of the venues, including inspirational and well attended Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Fan Zones and a Trophy Tour that inspires a million schoolkids across the Americas region. This is a big challenge but also a fantastic opportunity to grow the game in this region and I’m confident that we can deliver a brilliant showpiece event for world cricket.”
Quote from Iain Higgins, the outgoing CEO of USA Cricket, “For USA Cricket and Cricket West Indies to have been awarded the co-hosting of the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is a huge statement of intent from the sport on the potential for cricket in the Americas region. USA Cricket is incredibly grateful to the ICC Board for showing faith in the partnership to make history in 2024. The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will be delivered in a way that has the potential to break attendance and broadcast viewership records and set a new benchmark for commercial success, staging matches in broadcast prime-time to audiences around the world and inviting new public and private partnerships from corporate America for the ICC and its Members to develop over the next eight years of ICC event. We believe that now is the time for CWI and USA Cricket to come together with a shared spirit and purpose to unite this region and unleash a new dimension for cricket that will change the course of the growth of the game across the Americas forever.”
Name of Author: USA Cricket
USA Cricket (USAC) is the governing body for cricket in the United States, overseeing the national men’s, women’s, and youth teams. It also manages Major League Cricket, the premier domestic Twenty20 competition in the U.S.
