The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027 will begin with a blockbuster India-Australia clash before one of cricket's biggest rivalries takes centre stage, with India and Pakistan drawn in the same group and scheduled to meet in Johannesburg on October 10.
The tournament will be played across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia from October 2 to November 21, 2027. While the main group stage begins on October 7, the tournament officially opens with a three-team Super Series in Windhoek involving three teams from the Cricket World Cup Qualifier.
India and Pakistan have both been placed in Group A alongside Australia, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Qualifier A. With the tournament featuring a Super 7 stage before the knockout rounds, the two rivals could potentially meet as many as three times during the competition.
India and Pakistan in the Same Group
India and Pakistan will face each other on October 10 at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, just three days after India's opening match against Australia in Cape Town.
India have been designated A1, while Pakistan are A3. These pre-seeded positions were determined using the ICC Men's ODI Team Rankings at the September 30, 2026 cut-off and will also influence the fixture pathway in the Super 7 stage.
Group A contains six teams:
- India
- Australia
- Pakistan
- Afghanistan
- Zimbabwe
- Qualifier A
The group stage will determine which teams advance to the next phase. The top three sides from each group, together with the better-performing fourth-placed team across the two groups, will qualify for the seven-team Super 7.
India Begin Their Campaign Against Australia
India's first match of the 2027 World Cup will be against Australia on October 7 in Cape Town.
The fixture brings together the finalists from the 2023 World Cup, with Australia entering the tournament as defending champions and India as runners-up.
India will then face Pakistan on October 10 before continuing their group campaign against Afghanistan, Qualifier A and co-hosts Zimbabwe.
India's Group-Stage Schedule
| Date | Fixture | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| October 7, 2027 | India vs Australia | Cape Town |
| October 10, 2027 | India vs Pakistan | Johannesburg |
| October 14, 2027 | India vs Afghanistan | Tshwane |
| October 17, 2027 | India vs Qualifier A | Bloemfontein |
| October 24, 2027 | Zimbabwe vs India | Victoria Falls |
India's final group match against Zimbabwe will also be the first World Cup fixture staged at the new Mosi-oa-Tunya Stadium in Victoria Falls.
The match will bring the group stage to a close on October 24.
Pakistan's Route Through Group A
Pakistan will begin their campaign against Afghanistan in Tshwane on October 8 before meeting India two days later in Johannesburg.
Their remaining group matches will be against Qualifier A, Zimbabwe and Australia.
Pakistan's Group-Stage Schedule
| Date | Fixture | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| October 8, 2027 | Pakistan vs Afghanistan | Tshwane |
| October 10, 2027 | India vs Pakistan | Johannesburg |
| October 15, 2027 | Pakistan vs Qualifier A | Bloemfontein |
| October 19, 2027 | Zimbabwe vs Pakistan | Harare |
| October 22, 2027 | Australia vs Pakistan | Paarl |
The group contains several high-profile fixtures, including India vs Australia, India vs Pakistan and Australia vs Pakistan, making Group A one of the central storylines of the opening phase.
Group B Completes the World Cup Line-Up
Group B features New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, England, Bangladesh and Qualifier B.
Co-hosts South Africa will begin their campaign against New Zealand in Cape Town on October 9. Their other group fixtures will be against Qualifier B, England, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
The full Group B line-up is:
- New Zealand
- South Africa
- Sri Lanka
- England
- Bangladesh
- Qualifier B
The group stage will contain 12 double-header days, with India appearing on four of them: October 10, October 14, October 17 and October 24.
How the Super 7 Stage Will Work
The 2027 World Cup introduces a Super 7 stage after the two groups.
The top three teams from each group will qualify, along with the better-performing fourth-placed team from the two groups. This creates a seven-team league in which every side will play six matches.
Importantly, no points will be carried over from the group stage.
The Super 7 will run from October 25 to November 14, with the top four teams progressing to the semi-finals.
The ICC has also pre-seeded seven positions to provide greater certainty over the tournament's fixture pathways.
The designated positions are:
- A1 – India
- A2 – Australia
- A3 – Pakistan
- AB4 – England
- B1 – New Zealand
- B2 – South Africa
- B3 – Sri Lanka
If a non-seeded team qualifies for the Super 7 while one of the pre-seeded teams fails to advance, the qualifying team will inherit that team's designated position.
India Could Meet Pakistan Again in the Super 7
The group-stage meeting on October 10 may not be the only India-Pakistan contest at the 2027 World Cup.
If both teams qualify for the Super 7, they are scheduled to meet again on November 7 in Cape Town.
India's scheduled Super 7 fixtures, based on the pre-seeded positions, include matches against Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka.
India's Scheduled Super 7 Matches
| Date | Fixture | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| October 28 | India vs Australia | Victoria Falls |
| October 31 | South Africa vs India | Johannesburg |
| November 4 | India vs New Zealand | Paarl |
| November 7 | India vs Pakistan | Cape Town |
| November 11 | India vs England | Gqeberha |
| November 14 | India vs Sri Lanka | Durban |
These fixtures are based on the pre-seeded structure and remain subject to which teams actually qualify for the Super 7.
India and Pakistan Could Meet Three Times
The tournament format creates the possibility of up to three India-Pakistan matches.
The first is already confirmed in the group stage on October 10 in Johannesburg.
A second could take place on November 7 in Cape Town if both sides advance to the Super 7.
The third would require the teams to meet in the knockout phase.
The semi-finals are scheduled for November 17 and 18, with the final taking place on November 21 in Johannesburg.
Because the two teams could qualify for the same semi-final or be placed in opposite semi-finals, another India-Pakistan meeting is possible during the knockout stage. However, they cannot meet in both semi-finals because a losing team would be eliminated.
World Cup Knockout Schedule
The top four teams from the Super 7 will progress to the semi-finals.
The first semi-final will take place in Cape Town on November 17, while the second semi-final is scheduled for Tshwane on November 18.
The final will be played at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on November 21.
Both semi-finals and the final will have reserve days.
Knockout Fixtures
| Date | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| November 17 | Semi-final 1 | Cape Town |
| November 18 | Semi-final 2 | Tshwane |
| November 21 | Final | Johannesburg |
2027 World Cup to Feature 57 Matches
The 2027 World Cup will consist of 57 matches across four stages: the Super Series, group stage, Super 7 and knockout rounds.
The tournament will use 12 venues across three countries.
South Africa will host matches in Cape Town, Paarl, Johannesburg, Tshwane, Bloemfontein, Durban, KuGompo City and Gqeberha.
Zimbabwe will stage matches in Harare, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls, while Namibia's Cricket Ground in Windhoek will host the three Super Series games as well as three group-stage matches.
Durban and Windhoek are scheduled to host six matches each, while Cape Town, Johannesburg, Bloemfontein and Gqeberha will stage five apiece.
Qualifier Determines the Final Group-Stage Place
Before the main group stage begins, three teams from the Cricket World Cup Qualifier will compete in a Super Series in Windhoek.
The three sides will play each other once on October 2, 4 and 6. The team finishing first will claim the final group-stage qualification place and enter the tournament as Qualifier A.
The other three teams from the World Cup Qualifier will continue through the Super Series pathway.
Ten of the 14 World Cup teams were confirmed at the September 30, 2026 qualification cut-off.
Hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe qualified automatically, while India, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, England, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh secured places through the ICC ODI rankings.
Namibia, despite being a co-host, had not yet secured its qualification at that stage, while West Indies were also set to compete in the Qualifier.
A World Cup Built Around High-Profile Rivalries
The 2027 ODI World Cup schedule provides several major storylines from the opening week, but the India-Pakistan fixture in Johannesburg is likely to attract particular attention.
India begin against Australia before facing Pakistan only three days later, while Pakistan's campaign also features matches against Afghanistan and Australia.
The new Super 7 structure then creates another possible meeting between the traditional rivals before the knockout stage adds a further opportunity.
With matches spread across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, the 2027 tournament will combine a new competition format with several established cricket rivalries.
For India and Pakistan, however, the schedule guarantees at least one meeting—and potentially as many as three—before the World Cup concludes in Johannesburg on November 21.