The men’s Cricket World Cup is an International Cricket Council (ICC) sanctioned tournament which is one of the most prestigious tournaments in sports. It is played in the One Day International format. The tournament is held every four years.
The inaugural edition of the tournament was played in 1975. The first three editions of the tournament were played in the 60-over format before the 1987 edition when 50-overs became the norm. The total number of teams participating in the cricket World Cup has varied in every World Cup. This has also led to inconsistency in following a single format in every edition.
The selection of the teams for the World Cup is based on a qualification process that begins three years prior to the subsequent world cup. The host nation automatically qualifies for the tournament.
Since the 1992 edition, when the number of participating nations has exceeded beyond 10, teams are divided into two or four groups. In each group matches are played in a round-robin format and group toppers qualify for the knockout stages. When the number of participating teams are 10 or fewer, a single group format is used where teams play each other in league matches. The top four teams qualify for the knockout round.
As of 2023, the most successful team in world cups has been Australia, winning the title five times. Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for scoring most runs in world cup matches whereas Glenn McGrath holds the record picking up the most wickets.
