The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed that England will remain the host for the next three World Test Championship (WTC) finals, extending the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) hosting rights through to 2031.
This decision was announced following the ICC Annual Meeting held in Singapore.
Having successfully hosted the first three WTC finals in 2021, 2023, and earlier this summer in 2025, England will again stage the finals in 2027, 2029, and 2031. The ICC cited strong attendance figures and passionate support for the competing teams, despite England not featuring in any of the finals, as key reasons behind the decision.
“The Board also confirmed the awarding of hosting rights for the ICC World Test Championship Finals for the 2027, 2029, and 2031 editions to the England and Wales Cricket Board, following a successful track record in hosting recent finals,” the ICC stated in its press release.
There had been calls from players and pundits worldwide to rotate the final’s venue to other cricketing regions, particularly Asia and the southern hemisphere, to bring variety and fairness to the competition. Australian captain Pat Cummins, for example, suggested the WTC final should be held by the defending champions.
While the World Test Championship has been relatively successful since its inception, some aspects, such as the qualification format, continue to be refined. Nonetheless, the finals have been widely praised, with New Zealand and Australia winning the first two finals in Southampton and the Oval respectively, and South Africa ending their long ICC trophy drought with a memorable victory at Lord’s this year.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had expressed interest in hosting future WTC finals, but concerns over potentially low attendances if India failed to reach the final, as well as ongoing geopolitical tensions with Pakistan complicating ICC events on the subcontinent, led the ICC to extend England’s hosting tenure.