High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup was the eighth ICC Cricket World Cup and was played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya from 9 February to 24 March. 2003 was the first time that the Cricket World Cup had been held in Africa. The tournament featured 14 teams and 54 matches, the most in the tournament history up to that time. The tournament followed the format introduced in the 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup with the teams divided into 2 groups, and the top three in each group qualifying for the Super Sixes stage. The tournament saw upsets in the first round with South Africa, Pakistan, West Indies and England, who forfeited their pool match with Zimbabwe due to the political unrest in the country, failing to make it to Super Sixes stage while Zimbabwe and Kenya made it to Super Sixes stage and Kenya, a non-Test playing nation, made the semi-finals of the tournament.