ODI World Cup 2027 Schedule: India Drawn Alongside Pakistan for Blockbuster Clash on Oct 10
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Archrivals India and Pakistan have been placed in the same group alongside reigning champions Australia for the 2027 ICC Men’s ODI World Cup, setting the stage for a mouth-watering group-stage showdown. The International Cricket Council (ICC) officially revealed the group distributions on Thursday during a high-profile schedule launch event held at Cape Town's Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa.
The marquee 14-team tournament, returning to African soil after a 24-year hiatus, will run from October 2 to November 21, 2027. Top-ranked India, led for the first time at a mega event by skipper Shubman Gill, anchor a formidable Group A lineup alongside Australia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, co-hosts Zimbabwe, and Qualifier A.
Co-hosts South Africa feature in Group B alongside England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Qualifier B.
India’s fixtures
7 October 2027 — India vs Australia
10 October 2027 — India vs Pakistan
14 October 2027 — India vs Afghanistan
17 October 2027 — India vs Qualifier A
24 October 2027 — Zimbabwe vs India
28 October 2027 — India vs Australia
31 October 2027 — South Africa vs India
4 November 2027 — India vs New Zealand
7 November 2027 — India vs Pakistan
11 November 2027 — India vs England
14 November 2027 — India vs Sri Lanka
Multi-Nation African Venues and Direct Qualifiers
The 2027 edition will be co-hosted across 12 venues in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, hosting a total of 57 matches. Africa last staged the flagship 50-over event in 2003, when South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya served as joint hosts.
Ten nations have already earned direct qualification through their ICC rankings and hosting status: South Africa, Zimbabwe, India, defending champions Australia, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.
Host venues across the three countries include:
- South Africa (8 Grounds): Wanderers Stadium (Johannesburg), Centurion (Tshwane), Newlands (Cape Town), Kingsmead (Durban), St George’s Park (Gqeberha), Mangaung Oval (Bloemfontein), Boland Park (Paarl), and Buffalo Park (KuGompo City).
- Zimbabwe (3 Grounds): Harare Sports Club (Harare), Queens Sports Club (Bulawayo), and the newly constructed Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls.
- Namibia (1 Ground): The newly built Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek.
New Four-Stage Format Introduced for 2027
The ICC has overhauled the tournament structure, introducing a modified four-stage format to decide the world champions.
The action begins with a pre-tournament 'Super Series' qualifier featuring teams ranked 12th, 13th, and 14th to decide the final main-draw spot. The successful qualifier joins the top 11 ranked teams in two groups of six for the initial phase. From there, the top three teams in each group, alongside the next best-ranked team overall, advance to a seven-team 'Super 7' round-robin stage. The top four teams from the Super 7 phase will then qualify for the semi-finals, with the winners battling for the trophy in the final on November 21.
