England to Host Next Three World Test Championship Finals

The ICC has chosen England to host the World Test Championship (WTC) finals in 2027, 2029, and 2031. The decision was officially confirmed during the ICC's annual conference held in Singapore.

This follows England’s successful hosting of the first three WTC finals since the event began in 2021. The most recent final, played at Lord’s last month, saw South Africa defeat Australia.

There were talks about moving future finals to India starting from 2027, but the ICC praised England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for doing a great job in organizing the past finals. They said England’s strong fan support and experience were key reasons for the decision.

ECB chief executive Richard Gould expressed his happiness, saying, “It shows how much fans in this country love Test cricket. We’re excited to work with the ICC to make these finals even better.”

The WTC final will still take place in early summer in England in June. This period comes right after the IPL and avoids clashes with most other international matches, making it a good time for the event.

England has a unique advantage when it comes to hosting such finals. Even if the teams playing are not from England, the stadiums still fill up with fans. This was true for the 2021 final (held at the Hampshire Bowl), the 2023 final (at The Oval), and the 2025 final (at Lord’s), where tickets sold out.

Gould had earlier said that while England does not have a guaranteed right to always host the WTC final, they are often the best choice because they can attract large crowds no matter which teams are playing. He warned that moving the final to another country could lead to smaller crowds, especially if both teams are neutral, which might reduce the importance of the event.

The ICC was pleased with the atmosphere at Lord’s during the most recent final. However, it is still undecided if Lord’s will continue to be the main venue for future finals, or if other grounds in England will be used.