Pakistan, India placed in same group as ICC announces 2027 World Cup schedule

• India, Pakistan, Australia drawn together in Group A.
• World Cup begins with Super Series in Windhoek.
• Final scheduled for Johannesburg on November 21.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and India have been placed in the same group as the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the schedule and groups for the 2027 Men’s Cricket World Cup, which will be staged across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

The 14-team mega event will start with the 'Super Series', comprising three teams who would come through the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier, and will face each other in a round-robin format, with all three first-round matches scheduled to be played at the Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek on October 2, 4 and 6, respectively.

Following the Super Series, the top two teams in the standings will advance into the main round, which will feature a total of 12 teams, divided into two groups, unveiled earlier today.

Traditional rivals Pakistan and India, alongside defending champions Australia, have been slotted in Group A, which further features Afghanistan, co-host Zimbabwe and Qualifier A, which would come through the Super Series.

Group B, on the other hand, features Bangladesh, England, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, co-hosts South Africa and Qualifier B.

Group Stage action will begin on October 7 in Cape Town with a repeat of the 2023 World Cup final, as defending champions Australia face India.

Co-hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe will begin their campaigns on October 9 and 11 respectively. South Africa will face New Zealand in Cape Town, while Zimbabwe will take on Afghanistan in Bulawayo.

South Africa and Zimbabwe qualified directly as hosts, along with the eight highest-ranked teams in the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings at the September 30, 2026 cut-off.

The remaining four places will be decided through the Cricket World Cup Qualifier. The top-placed team will qualify directly for the Group Stage, while the other three teams will enter the Super Series for the remaining Group Stage berth.

The top three teams from each group, along with the better-performing fourth-placed team, will advance to the Super 7 phase.

Pakistan-India clash on October 10

The much-anticipated Pakistan-India match is scheduled for October 10 in Johannesburg.

The Namibia Cricket Ground’s final fixture of the tournament will see England face Sri Lanka on October 13.

India will face Zimbabwe in the first World Cup match at the new ground in Victoria Falls, with the fixture also serving as the final match of the Group Stage.

The three-team Super Series in Windhoek will feature the second-, third- and fourth-placed teams from the Cricket World Cup Qualifier in three high-stakes matches on October 2, 4 and 6.

The teams will play a single round-robin series, with the side finishing top securing the final Group Stage spot.

The Group Stage will also feature India and Australia meeting in Cape Town, South Africa facing New Zealand and Zimbabwe beginning its campaign against Qualifier B.

Super 7 phase

The seven teams progressing from the Group Stage will enter the Super 7 phase without carrying any points from the earlier stage.

Each team will play six further matches between October 25 and November 14.

To provide clarity over venues and fixture pathways, the ICC has pre-seeded several teams into designated Super 7 positions.

The allocations are:

A1: India

A2: Australia

A3: Pakistan

AB4: England

B1: New Zealand

B2: South Africa

B3: Sri Lanka

The Super 7 phase will begin on October 25 with A2 facing B3 in Johannesburg. Based on the current seeding, that would be Australia against Sri Lanka if both teams qualify.

If a non-seeded team qualifies for the Super 7 phase while a pre-seeded team does not, the qualifying side will assume the position allocated to the displaced seeded team.

For example, if Bangladesh qualify and Sri Lanka do not, Bangladesh would take the B3 position and face Australia on October 25.

The ICC said the seeding system has been introduced to maintain the integrity of the qualification process while providing fixture certainty for fans.

Semi-finals and final

The top four teams after the Super 7 phase 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 will be played in Cape Town on November 17, while the second will be held in Tshwane on November 18. Both semi-finals will have reserve days.

The final is scheduled for November 21 in Johannesburg, with November 22 set as the reserve day if required.

ICC Chairman Jay Shah said the schedule and opening of the ticket ballot marked major milestones ahead of the tournament.

“The announcement of the schedule and opening of the ticket ballot are major milestones on the road to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, bringing fans one step closer to a spectacular celebration of cricket across the three nations,” he said.

“The ICC remains committed to making its World Cup events accessible to as many fans as possible, with affordable ticket prices and options that bring families, young people and local communities closer to the action.

Full World Cup schedule

Super Series

Saturday, October 2, 2027 — QF1 v QF3 — Windhoek

Monday, October 4, 2027 — QF1 v QF2 — Windhoek

Wednesday, October 6, 2027 — QF2 v QF3 — Windhoek

Group Stage

Thursday, October 7 — India v Australia — Cape Town

Friday, October 8 — Pakistan v Afghanistan — Tshwane

Friday, October 8 — England v Bangladesh — Windhoek

Saturday, October 9 — Zimbabwe v Qualifier A — Bulawayo

Saturday, October 9 — South Africa v New Zealand — Cape Town

Sunday, October 10 — India v Pakistan — Johannesburg

Sunday, October 10 — Sri Lanka v Qualifier B — Windhoek

Monday, October 11 — Zimbabwe v Afghanistan — Bulawayo

Tuesday, October 12 — Australia v Qualifier A — Paarl

Tuesday, October 12 — New Zealand v Bangladesh — KuGompo City

Wednesday, October 13 — England v Sri Lanka — Windhoek

Wednesday, October 13 — South Africa v Qualifier B — Paarl

Thursday, October 14 — India v Afghanistan — Tshwane

Friday, October 15 — Pakistan v Qualifier A — Bloemfontein

Friday, October 15 — Zimbabwe v Australia — Harare

Saturday, October 16 — Sri Lanka v Bangladesh — Durban

Saturday, October 16 — South Africa v England — Gqeberha

Sunday, October 17 — India v Qualifier A — Bloemfontein

Sunday, October 17 — New Zealand v Qualifier B — Harare

Monday, October 18 — Australia v Afghanistan — KuGompo City

Tuesday, October 19 — Zimbabwe v Pakistan — Harare

Tuesday, October 19 — South Africa v Bangladesh — Durban

Wednesday, October 20 — New Zealand v Sri Lanka — Johannesburg

Wednesday, October 20 — England v Qualifier B — Harare

Thursday, October 21 — Afghanistan v Qualifier A — KuGompo City

Friday, October 22 — Australia v Pakistan — Paarl

Friday, October 22 — South Africa v Sri Lanka — Johannesburg

Saturday, October 23 — England v New Zealand — Gqeberha

Saturday, October 23 — Bangladesh v Qualifier B — Tshwane

Sunday, October 24 — Zimbabwe v India — Victoria Falls

Super 7 Stage

Monday, October 25 — A2 (Australia) v B3 (Sri Lanka) — Johannesburg

Tuesday, October 26 — B1 (New Zealand) v A3 (Pakistan) — Gqeberha

Wednesday, October 27 — B2 (South Africa) v AB4 (England) — Tshwane

Thursday, October 28 — A1 (India) v A2 (Australia) — Victoria Falls

Friday, October 29 — B1 (New Zealand) v B3 (Sri Lanka) — KuGompo City

Saturday, October 30 — A3 (Pakistan) v AB4 (England) — Victoria Falls

Sunday, October 31 — B2 (South Africa) v A1 (India) — Johannesburg

Monday, November 1 — A2 (Australia) v B1 (New Zealand) — Victoria Falls

Tuesday, November 2 — B3 (Sri Lanka) v AB4 (England) — Cape Town

Wednesday, November 3 — B2 (South Africa) v A3 (Pakistan) — Durban

Thursday, November 4 — A1 (India) v B1 (New Zealand) — Paarl

Friday, November 5 — A2 (Australia) v AB4 (England) — Durban

Saturday, November 6 — B2 (South Africa) v B3 (Sri Lanka) — Bloemfontein

Sunday, November 7 — A1 (India) v A3 (Pakistan) — Cape Town

Monday, November 8 — B1 (New Zealand) v AB4 (England) — Durban

Tuesday, November 9 — B2 (South Africa) v A2 (Australia) — Gqeberha

Wednesday, November 10 — A3 (Pakistan) v B3 (Sri Lanka) — Bloemfontein

Thursday, November 11 — A1 (India) v AB4 (England) — Gqeberha

Friday, November 12 — B2 (South Africa) v B1 (New Zealand) — Cape Town

Saturday, November 13 — A2 (Australia) v A3 (Pakistan) — Bloemfontein

Sunday, November 14 — A1 (India) v B3 (Sri Lanka) — Durban

Semi-finals and final

Wednesday, November 17 — Semi-final 1 — Cape Town

Thursday, November 18 — Semi-final 2 — Tshwane

Sunday, November 21 — Final — Johannesburg

Monday, November 22 — Reserve day for final, if required