New Delhi: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday announced the schedule for the Men's ODI Cricket World Cup 2027, with India set to open their Group Stage campaign against defending champions Australia in Cape Town on October 7.
The tournament will begin on October 2 with a three-team Super Series in Windhoek, which will determine the final Group Stage team. The 12 teams already confirmed for the Group Stage have been divided into two groups of six.
India, Australia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Qualifier A form Group A, while New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, England, Bangladesh and Qualifier B make up Group B.
Group Stage action will begin on October 7, with India taking on Australia in a repeat of the 2023 World Cup final in Cape Town. South Africa will begin their campaign against New Zealand in Cape Town on October 9, while Zimbabwe will face Qualifier A in Bulawayo on the same day.
The much-anticipated India-Pakistan clash will be played in Johannesburg on October 10.
Of the 14 teams at the tournament, South Africa and Zimbabwe qualified directly as hosts, alongside the best 8 teams on the ICC Men's ODI Team Rankings at the September 30, 2026 cut-off.
The remaining four spots will be decided at the Cricket World Cup Qualifier. The top-placed finisher will go directly to the Group Stage, while the other three teams will compete in the Super Series for the final Group Stage spot.
The top three teams from each group will advance to the Super 7 phase, with the better fourth-placed team across the two groups taking the seventh spot.
A total of 12 venues will host the tournament.
The Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek will host the three Super Series matches and three Group Stage games, with three venues in Zimbabwe and eight in South Africa.
The Mosi-oa-Tunya Stadium in Victoria Falls joins Harare and Bulawayo as Zimbabwean venues, while in South Africa, matches will be held in Cape Town, Paarl, Johannesburg, Tshwane, Bloemfontein, Durban, KuGompo City and Gqeberha.
ICC Chairman Jay Shah said the announcement of the 2027 World Cup schedule and the opening of the ticket ballot marked major milestones, adding that the ICC aims to make the tournament accessible through affordable ticket options.
He said South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia would provide a memorable stage for the competition and that the ICC looked forward to welcoming fans from around the world.
"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. 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," he said, as quoted by the ICC website.
"South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia will provide an unforgettable stage for the world's best teams, combining a deep passion for cricket, extraordinary destinations and a renowned warmth of welcome. We look forward to welcoming fans from across the world and creating memories that will last long beyond the final," he added.
Super Series
October 2 - QF1 vs QF3 - WindhoekOctober 4 - QF1 vs QF2 - WindhoekOctober 6 - QF2 vs QF3 - Windhoek
Group Stage
October 7 - India vs Australia - Cape TownOctober 8 - Pakistan vs Afghanistan - TshwaneOctober 8 - England vs Bangladesh - WindhoekOctober 9 - Zimbabwe vs Qualifier A - BulawayoOctober 9 - South Africa vs New Zealand - Cape TownOctober 10 - India vs Pakistan - JohannesburgOctober 10 - Sri Lanka vs Qualifier B - WindhoekOctober 11 - Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan - BulawayoOctober 12 - Australia vs Qualifier A - PaarlOctober 12 - New Zealand vs Bangladesh - KuGompo CityOctober 13 - England vs Sri Lanka - WindhoekOctober 13 - South Africa vs Qualifier B - PaarlOctober 14 - India vs Afghanistan - TshwaneOctober 15 - Pakistan vs Qualifier A - BloemfonteinOctober 15 - Zimbabwe vs Australia - HarareOctober 16 - Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh - DurbanOctober 16 - South Africa vs England - GqeberhaOctober 17 - India vs Qualifier A - BloemfonteinOctober 17 - New Zealand vs Qualifier B - HarareOctober 18 - Australia vs Afghanistan - KuGompo CityOctober 19 - Zimbabwe vs Pakistan - HarareOctober 19 - South Africa vs Bangladesh - DurbanOctober 20 - New Zealand vs Sri Lanka - JohannesburgOctober 20 - England vs Qualifier B - HarareOctober 21 - Afghanistan vs Qualifier A - KuGompo CityOctober 22 - Australia vs Pakistan - PaarlOctober 22 - South Africa vs Sri Lanka - JohannesburgOctober 23 - England vs New Zealand - GqeberhaOctober 23 - Bangladesh vs Qualifier B - TshwaneOctober 24 - Zimbabwe vs India - Victoria Falls
Super 7 Stage (current seeded team in brackets)
October 25 - A2 (Australia) vs B3 (Sri Lanka) - JohannesburgOctober 26 - B1 (New Zealand) vs A3 (Pakistan) - GqeberhaOctober 27 - B2 (South Africa) vs AB4 (England) - TshwaneOctober 28 - A1 (India) vs A2 (Australia) - Victoria FallsOctober 29 - B1 (New Zealand) vs B3 (Sri Lanka) - KuGompo CityOctober 30 - A3 (Pakistan) vs AB4 (England) - Victoria FallsOctober 31 - B2 (South Africa) vs A1 (India) - JohannesburgNovember 1 - A2 (Australia) vs B1 (New Zealand) - Victoria FallsNovember 2 - B3 (Sri Lanka) vs AB4 (England) - Cape TownNovember 3 - B2 (South Africa) vs A3 (Pakistan) - DurbanNovember 4 - A1 (India) vs B1 (New Zealand) - PaarlNovember 5 - A2 (Australia) vs AB4 (England) - DurbanNovember 6 - B2 (South Africa) vs B3 (Sri Lanka) - BloemfonteinNovember 7 - A1 (India) vs A3 (Pakistan) - Cape TownNovember 8 - B1 (New Zealand) vs AB4 (England) - DurbanNovember 9 - B2 (South Africa) vs A2 (Australia) - GqeberhaNovember 10 - A3 (Pakistan) vs B3 (Sri Lanka) - BloemfonteinNovember 11 - A1 (India) vs AB4 (England) - GqeberhaNovember 12 - B2 (South Africa) vs B1 (New Zealand) - Cape TownNovember 13 - A2 (Australia) vs A3 (Pakistan) - BloemfonteinNovember 14 - A1 (India) vs B3 (Sri Lanka) - Durban
Semi-finals
November 17 - Semi-final 1 - Cape TownNovember 18 - Semi-final 2 - Tshwane
Final
November 21 - Final - Johannesburg
The top 4 teams after the Super 7 phase will advance to the semi-finals. The top-ranked team will face the fourth-placed team, while the second- and third-placed teams will meet in the other semi-final. The final will be played in Johannesburg on November 21, with a reserve day on November 22.