“Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is.”
This celebrated quote by yesteryear American football coach Vince Lombardi serves as the overture to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, a tournament where the ten best teams in the world are slated to compete with each other for the ultimate prize in the world of cricket. Scheduled to start on 5th October 2023, the anticipation regarding the marquee quadrennial tournament is at its peak. As such, let us take a closer look at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 prize money, format and where you can watch it.
Held for the first time in 1975, the Cricket World Cup has gone through several changes as the years progressed. It was not until 1999 that the International Cricket Council (ICC) decided to take complete control of the tournament. The Cricket World Cup trophy that is popular today also made its debut in the 1999 edition of the tournament.
Besides the name and trophy, the entire format of the tournament went through phases of alterations as well. While the inaugural 1975 edition was contested between eight teams drawn in two groups of four each, followed by the semi-finals and the final, in 2007 as many as 16 teams took part in the event – a record for the highest number of participants in a single edition of the World Cup.
The current format of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup will be similar to the 2019 edition, with ten teams participating in the tournament. A single-group round-robin stage will be followed by the semi-finals and finals to determine the world champions.
As England and New Zealand get ready to lock horns against each other in the curtain raiser of the mega event, scheduled to take place on October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, we dive deep into the ICC World Cup 2023 prize money.
What is the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 prize money?
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According to ICC’s official website, a total prize money pool of USD 10 million (INR 83 crore approx.) has been announced for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. From this pot, the winners of the tournament will be rewarded with a jaw-dropping USD 4 million (INR 33 crore approx.), while the runners-up will receive a sum of USD 2 million (INR 16 crore approx.).
The two teams that bow out from the semi-finals of the World Cup will each be taking home USD 800,000 (INR 6 crore approx.). For the six teams that fail to make it beyond the Group Stage, ICC will be giving each a sum of USD 100,000 (INR 83 lakh approx.).
In addition to the aforementioned prizes, each team will receive USD 40,000 (INR 33 lakh approx.) for winning a match in the Group Stage of the Cricket World Cup this year.
Is there an increase in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 prize money from previous editions?
While the prize money on offer at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2023 remains the highest amount offered in a single edition of the quadrennial tournament, there is no change from the prize money pot of the previous edition in 2019.
In 2019, England, the champions of the ICC Cricket World Cup, took home USD 4 million (INR 33 crore approx.), while the runners-up, New Zealand, received USD 2 million (INR 16 crore approx.). The two semi-finalists, India and Australia, were rewarded with USD 800,000 (INR 6 crore approx.).
A sum of USD 100,000 (INR 83 lakh approx.) was awarded to each of the teams who exited from the Group Stage of the tournament, namely Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Bangladesh, West Indies and Afghanistan. For winning each match in the Group Stage, the victors were rewarded with USD 40,000 (INR 33 lakh approx.).
ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023: Where does the prize money pool stand in comparison to other ICC tournaments?
Being the grandest event in the world of cricket, the prize money on offer at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is greater than that of other events organised by the governing body.
To put things in perspective, the total prize money pool at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 was USD 5.6 million (INR 46 crore approx.). From that pot, England, the winners, received a sum of USD 1.6 million (INR 13 crore approx.), while the runners-up, Pakistan, got to take home USD 800,000(INR 6 crore approx.). The two losing semi-finalists, India and New Zealand, were rewarded with USD 400,000 (INR 3 crore approx.) each.
Citing another example, the total prize money on offer at the 2021-23 ICC World Test Championship was USD 3.8 million (INR 31 crore approx.). This was shared between all nine competing teams. While Australia, the winners of the World Test Championship 2023 Final, were rewarded with USD 1.6 million (INR 13 crore approx.), India, the runners-up, pocketed USD 800,000 (INR 6 crore approx.). South Africa received USD 450,000 (INR 3 crore approx.) for finishing third, while England, who finished the campaign in fourth place, got to take home USD 350,000 (INR 2 crore approx.).
What is the difference between the prize money offered at the men’s and women’s ICC tournaments?
While there has been a significant increase in the prize money on offer at the women’s ICC tournaments in the past couple of years, the gap between the men’s and women’s games is massive when it comes to monetary benefits.
For context, the prize money pool that was on offer at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2022 stood at USD 3.5 million (INR 29 crore approx.). Even though there was a 75 per cent increase in the prize money pool from the previous edition of the tournament in 2017, the total prize money pot at the women’s marquee tournament falls short by USD 6.5 million (INR 54 crore approx.) when compared to the prize money pot at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Australia, the champions of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022, was rewarded with USD 1.32 million (INR 10 crore approx.), while England, the runners-up, received USD 600,000 (INR 4 crore approx.).
The same holds true for the Twenty20 format of the game as well. In the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023, the total prize money pool stood at USD 2.45 million (INR 20 crore approx.), which is USD 3 million (INR 24 crore approx.) less than what was on offer at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022. Australia, the winners of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023, took home a sum of USD 1 million (INR 8 crore approx.), while South Africa, the runners-up, bagged USD 500,000 (INR 4 crore approx.).
However, the landscape of the prize money difference in cricket is likely to change in the coming days. On July 13, 2023, the ICC announced equal prize money for men’s and women’s teams in ICC events. In its Annual Conference at Durban, South Africa, the apex global governing body for cricket took a step towards achieving prize money parity as it announced equal monetary rewards for the teams finishing in similar positions at comparable events.
Where can you watch the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023?
Cricket fans in India can watch the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 on the Star Sports Network and on Disney+ Hotstar, the official broadcasters for the tournament in this region.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– Where is the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 scheduled to take place?
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 will take place in India.
– Is the schedule out for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023?
Yes, the schedule for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 is out. The tournament commences on October 5 and will conclude on November 19.
– Why is the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 being played in October?
While the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 was originally scheduled to be played between February 9 and March 26, the start of the tournament was postponed to October 2023 in July 2020 as the qualification schedule for the event was disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
– What is the prize money on offer at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023?
A total prize money pool of USD 10 million (INR 83 crore approx.) is at stake at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
Hero and Featured Images: Courtesy ICC
This story first appeared on Augustman India.
Uddipta writes about sports and watches besides occasionally venturing into the world of automobiles and technology. He was associated with the Indian Express in the capacity of a sub-editor at their Lifestyle desk. A journalism and mass communication student from Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai, Uddipta devotes most of his leisure time to photography and filmmaking. He has contributed photographs to Vogue Italia and several exhibits, and has directed award-winning short films screened at film festivals in India and abroad.
