The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the full schedule for the 2027 Men's Cricket World Cup, with India set to begin their campaign against defending champions Australia in Cape Town on October 7.
The 2027 edition will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, with the tournament scheduled from October 2 to November 21. The final will be played in Johannesburg.
India have been placed in Group A alongside Australia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and one qualifier. Group B consists of New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, England, Bangladesh and another qualifier.
India vs Pakistan World Cup Match On October 10
The much-anticipated India-Pakistan clash will take place in Johannesburg on October 10, just three days after India's tournament opener against Australia.
India will then face Afghanistan on October 14 in Tshwane before taking on their remaining group-stage opponents. Their match against the first qualifier is scheduled for October 17 in Bloemfontein.
India's final group-stage fixture will be against co-hosts Zimbabwe on October 24 at Victoria Falls, in what will be the first World Cup match at the new Mosi-oa-Tunya Stadium.
The complete Group A schedule means India could face Australia and Pakistan within their opening four matches of the tournament.
New World Cup Format
The 2027 World Cup will feature 14 teams, with 12 teams divided into two groups of six for the main Group Stage.
The top three teams from each group will progress to a new seven-team Super 7 phase. The final place will go to the better-performing fourth-placed team across the two groups.
The Super 7 phase will begin on October 25 and run until November 14. Each team will play six matches, with no points carried over from the Group Stage.
India, Australia and Pakistan have been pre-seeded as A1, A2 and A3 respectively, while New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka occupy the B1, B2 and B3 positions. England has been designated as AB4.
This seeding system is designed to provide greater certainty around potential fixtures and venues while preserving the qualification process.
India Could Face Australia, Pakistan Again In Super 7
If the teams qualify for the Super 7 phase, the schedule has already mapped out potential fixtures based on their seeded positions.
India are scheduled to face Australia on October 28 at Victoria Falls, South Africa on October 31 in Johannesburg and New Zealand on November 4 in Paarl.
The India-Pakistan clash could be repeated on November 7 in Cape Town if both teams progress to the Super 7 stage.
India's other scheduled Super 7 matches are against England on November 11 in Gqeberha and Sri Lanka on November 14 in Durban.
World Cup 2027 Semi-Finals And Final
The top four teams in the Super 7 standings will qualify for the semi-finals.
The team finishing first will face the fourth-placed side, while the second- and third-placed teams will meet in the other semi-final.
The first semi-final is scheduled for November 17 in Cape Town, followed by the second semi-final on November 18 in Tshwane. Both matches have reserve days.
The World Cup final will be played in Johannesburg on November 21, with November 22 set aside as a reserve day.
2027 World Cup To Begin With Super Series
The tournament will officially begin on October 2 with a three-team Super Series in Windhoek.
The second-, third- and fourth-placed teams from the 2027 Cricket World Cup Qualifier will compete in the round-robin Super Series on October 2, 4 and 6.
The team finishing top will secure the final Group Stage spot.
The remaining 13 teams will either qualify directly through their rankings or the main qualifying tournament.
12 Venues Across Three Countries
The 2027 World Cup will be staged across 12 venues in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Namibia's Cricket Ground in Windhoek will host the three Super Series matches as well as three Group Stage games. Zimbabwe will host matches in Victoria Falls, Harare and Bulawayo, while eight venues across South Africa will be used during the tournament.
The ICC has also opened its ticket ballot. Entry-level tickets start at $9.62 (around Rs 158), while the highest-tier matches are priced at $31.31 (around Rs 514), according to the ICC.
With the schedule now confirmed, India's World Cup campaign has an early blockbuster fixture against Australia before the much-awaited Pakistan clash three days later.
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