ICC Bows to Big Three as Club Championship, Four-Nation Plan Scrapped
Zeeshan Mehtab
Published October 06, 2026 | 03:09 PM
Member boards argued that there is no room for such events in the upcoming Future Tours Programme.
LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Oct, 2026) The dominance and intransigence of the Big Three—India, Australia, and England—has prevented the International Cricket Council (ICC) from holding a major global tournament.
According to major news emerging from the cricket world, the ICC has been forced to abandon a plan it proposed itself, and there is now no possibility of a new club event until 2031.
The ICC had been working for several months to launch a new World Championship club event. The proposal was also discussed during an FTP workshop in Dubai, but the Big Three completely rejected it.
They made it clear that there was no room for such a new tournament in the annual cricket season.
The ICC continues to seek new competitions to increase its revenue and expand the sport’s reach, which often causes tensions with the Big Three.
However, the reality is that India alone holds overwhelming financial influence, generating approximately 70 percent of global cricket’s total revenue.
The plan to divide Test cricket into two divisions has also failed to progress as expected, although an important amendment has been made to it.
The next FTP cycle is expected to include a proposal to expand the World Test Championship to 12 teams. Following this change, Afghanistan, Ireland, and Zimbabwe will also be included, although the ICC has not yet issued the final plan to member countries.
The ICC had also presented several other concepts for discussion, including a World Club Championship and four-team T20 series during additional windows.
According to sources, smaller cricket teams were interested in these competitions, but the Big Three categorically refused to play multi-team matches.
Some quarters even likened the ICC’s efforts to an attempt to seize territory. The entire FTP plan will be finalized at a meeting in Bali next month.
Meanwhile, England, Australia, and India have already finalized their schedule to play one another until 2031.
The next World Test Championship will begin with the Ashes in England next summer, after which the English team will tour Australia in 2029-30.
England has agreed to tour India in early 2028 for a five-Test series, while India will travel to England in 2029.
It may be noted that the ICC’s television rights sales cycle operates somewhat differently from the FTP.
The next media rights auction will cover the period from 2028 to 2032, during which two T20 World Cups, the 2029 Champions Trophy, and the 2031 50-over World Cup will be played.
Importantly, broadcasters are preparing to make major cuts in the next agreement, a shortfall the ICC wanted to cover through a limited new event that was rejected by the Big Three.