Not India Or Australia! Michael Vaughan Predicts Winner Of ODI World Cup 2027 | Cricket News

Last Updated:September 06, 2025, 08:37 IST

The 2027 edition of the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup will feature a total of 14 teams, and 54 matches will be played across multiple venues in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

Michael Vaughan predicts the winner of 2027 ODI World Cup. (Picture Credit: PTI)

Former England men’s cricket team captain Michael Vaughan, who has now donned the hat of an expert and commentator, has made a bold prediction about the winner of the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2027. The 2027 edition of the men’s 50-over mega event will be played in the months of October and November in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe. According to Vaughan, who never managed to win an ICC trophy with the English team during his playing days, South Africa will win the top prize for the first time.

Vaughan took to X recently to post a tweet that read, “South Africa to win the World Cup in 2027 me thinks…”

South Africa played in the semifinals of the ODI World Cup in 1992, 1999, 2007, 2015 and 2023, but they have never managed to qualify for the final.

In the semifinals of the 1999, 2007 and 2023 ODI World Cups, Australia managed to get the better of them and then won the title as well.

In June 2025, South Africa ended their 27-year-long wait for an ICC trophy by getting the better of Australia in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 played at Lord’s. In that one-off match, Aiden Makram scored a century in the second innings to help them successfully chase down the target of 282 runs for the loss of just five wickets.

In the history of the men’s ODI World Cup, only three host teams – India in 2011, Australia in 2015 and England in 2019 – have managed to lift the trophy, and the Proteas will aim to join the elite list in a couple of years’ time.

In addition to making a bold prediction for the winners of the ODI World Cup 2027, Vaughan has also backed Australia to win the 2025 Women’s World Cup. The 2025 edition of the Women’s ODI World Cup will be played from September 30 to November 2 across four venues in India – Guwahati, Visakhapatnam, Indore, and Navi Mumbai – and one in Sri Lanka – Colombo.

Vaughan retweeted the Cricket Australia post in which they announced the squad for the upcoming tournament and wrote, “And the winners are…”

Wicketkeeper-batter Alyssa Healy will captain the Australian team in the Women’s World Cup 2025, and Tahlia McGrath has been named as her deputy. The squad also includes the likes of Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Ash Gardner, Megan Schutt, Grace Harris, Alana King, and Kim Garth, among others.

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