ICC Chairman Jay Shah: Two-time champions India will open their 2027 ICC Men's ODI World Cup campaign against defending champions Australia in Cape Town on October 7 in a high-voltage blockbuster clash to kickstart their group-stage fixtures.
The marquee clash offers Shubman Gill and his team an immediate rematch of the 2023 World Cup final, where Australia beat India in Ahmedabad, as their opening assignment of the 14-team mega event to be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Three days after their tournament opener, India will lock horns with archrivals Pakistan in a high-stakes encounter at the iconic Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on October 10. Following their opening two fixtures, India will travel to Centurion to face Afghanistan on October 14.
India will then head to Bloemfontein for their fourth group game against Qualifier A on October 17. India will complete their Group A assignment against co-hosts Zimbabwe at Victoria Falls on October 24. Group B, meanwhile, consists of co-hosts South Africa, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Qualifier B.
The tournament will formally commence on October 2 with the pre-tournament 'Super Series' qualifier stage in Windhoek. Following the group stage and the seven-team 'Super 7' round-robin phase, the first semi-final will take place on November 17 in Cape Town, with the second semi-final scheduled for November 18 in Centurion.
The tournament will conclude with the final in Johannesburg on November 21. Both semi-finals and the final will have a reserve day.
Alongside the schedule release, the ICC announced the opening of the official ticket ballot on October 1, giving global supporters a fair opportunity to secure seats through a free, non-first-come-first-served process running until November 21.
“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,” ICC Chairman Jay Shah said in a statement. “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."
“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.
Cricket enthusiasts have been urged to register for the official ticket ballot to secure their seats for the tournament, with entry-level match tickets priced from USD 9.62 (R158) to USD 31.31 (R514) for top-tier fixtures.
To ensure widespread accessibility across host nations, tournament organisers have also introduced specialised pricing packages, including family bundles, discounted rates for students and pensioners, early-bird local allocations, as well as dedicated group pricing for community clubs and schools.
Co-hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe begin their World Cup campaigns on October 9 and 11, respectively. South Africa will take on New Zealand in Cape Town, while Zimbabwe will meet Afghanistan in Bulawayo.
Under the ICC's tournament regulations, pre-tournament seeding allocations have been finalised for the 'Super 7' stage, ensuring that qualifying teams transition into the second round with predetermined positional slots regardless of their final group stage standings.
In Group A, India carry the top seeding as A1, followed by Australia as A2, Pakistan as A3, and England designated as A4. Meanwhile, Group B sees New Zealand assigned as B1, co-host South Africa as B2, and Sri Lanka holding the B3 seed for the next phase of the competition.
“So for example, the Super 7 stage begins on Monday, 25 October 2027 with A2 taking B3 in Johannesburg. This match will be Australia against Sri Lanka if both Australia and Sri Lanka qualify for the Super 7 stage.
“Should a non-seeded team finish in a qualifying position and a pre-seeded team does not, that team will assume the Super 7 position allocated to the pre-seeded team it has displaced.
“In the same example, if Bangladesh qualify for the Super 7 stage and Sri Lanka do not, Bangladesh would take the B3 spot, and play Australia on 25 October. This seeding is done to ensure the integrity of the qualification process is maintained while preserving fixture certainty for fans,” added the ICC.
Arch-rivals India and Pakistan could potentially face off for a second time in the World Cup if both nations advance to the 'Super 7' round. Should both teams qualify from Group A, their Super 7 meeting is scheduled to take place on November 7 at Newlands in Cape Town.
Similarly, India could also set up a second tournament clash against Australia on October 28 at the newly developed Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
The tournament will be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, with 57 matches in the 14-team competition to be played across 12 venues. Africa last hosted the flagship tournament in 2003, when South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya served as co-hosts for the eighth edition of the event.
Ten teams have already secured direct qualification based on their ICC rankings and status, including hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe, alongside India, defending champions Australia, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.
South Africa will host the bulk of the tournament across eight 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, formerly East London).
Zimbabwe will host fixtures at Harare Sports Club (Harare), Queens Sports Club (Bulawayo), and the newly developed Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls. Namibia will host its World Cup games at the newly built Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek.
The 2027 edition will introduce a modified four-stage structure to determine the world champion. The tournament will begin with a pre-tournament qualifier ‘Super Series’ featuring the teams ranked 12th, 13th, and 14th to determine the final qualifying spot for the main competition.
The successful qualifier will then join the top 11 ranked teams in two groups of six for the group stage. The top three teams from each group, along with the next best-ranked team overall, will progress to a seven-team ‘Super 7’ round-robin phase. The top four teams from the Super 7 stage will ultimately advance to the semifinals, with the winners from the semifinals to meet in the title clash.
2027 Men’s ODI World Cup full schedule
Saturday, 2 October: QF1 vs QF3 – Windhoek
Monday, 4 October: QF1 vs QF2 – Windhoek
Wednesday, 6 October: QF2 vs QF3 – Windhoek
Thursday, 7 October: INDIA vs AUSTRALIA – Cape Town
Friday, 8 October: PAKISTAN vs AFGHANISTAN – Tshwane
Friday, 8 October: ENGLAND vs BANGLADESH – Windhoek
Saturday, 9 October: ZIMBABWE vs QUALIFIER A – Bulawayo
Saturday, 9 October: SOUTH AFRICA vs NEW ZEALAND – Cape Town
Sunday, 10 October: INDIA vs PAKISTAN – Johannesburg
Sunday, 10 October: SRI LANKA vs QUALIFIER B – Windhoek
Monday, 11 October: ZIMBABWE vs AFGHANISTAN – Bulawayo
Tuesday, 12 October: AUSTRALIA vs QUALIFIER A – Paarl
Tuesday, 12 October: NEW ZEALAND vs BANGLADESH – KuGompo City
Wednesday, 13 October: ENGLAND vs SRI LANKA – Windhoek
Wednesday, 13 October: SOUTH AFRICA vs QUALIFIER B – Paarl
Thursday, 14 October: INDIA vs AFGHANISTAN – Tshwane
Friday, 15 October: PAKISTAN vs QUALIFIER A – Bloemfontein
Friday, 15 October: ZIMBABWE vs AUSTRALIA – Harare
Saturday, 16 October: SRI LANKA vs BANGLADESH – Durban
Saturday, 16 October: SOUTH AFRICA vs ENGLAND – Gqeberha
Sunday, 17 October: INDIA vs QUALIFIER A – Bloemfontein
Sunday, 17 October: NEW ZEALAND vs QUALIFIER B – Harare
Monday, 18 October: AUSTRALIA vs AFGHANISTAN – KuGompo City
Tuesday, 19 October: ZIMBABWE vs PAKISTAN – Harare
Tuesday, 19 October: SOUTH AFRICA vs BANGLADESH – Durban
Wednesday, 20 October: NEW ZEALAND vs SRI LANKA – Johannesburg
Wednesday, 20 October: ENGLAND vs QUALIFIER B – Harare
Thursday, 21 October: AFGHANISTAN vs QUALIFIER A – KuGompo City
Friday, 22 October: AUSTRALIA vs PAKISTAN – Paarl
Friday, 22 October: SOUTH AFRICA vs SRI LANKA – Johannesburg
Saturday, 23 October: ENGLAND vs NEW ZEALAND – Gqeberha
Saturday, 23 October: BANGLADESH vs QUALIFIER B – Tshwane
Sunday, 24 October: ZIMBABWE vs INDIA – Victoria Falls
Monday, 25 October: A2 vs B3 – Johannesburg
Tuesday, 26 October: B1 vs A3 – Gqeberha
Wednesday, 27 October: B2 vs AB4 – Tshwane
Thursday, 28 October: A1 vs A2 – Victoria Falls
Friday, 29 October: B1 vs B3 – KuGompo City
Saturday, 30 October: A3 vs AB4 – Victoria Falls
Sunday, 31 October: B2 vs A1 – Johannesburg
Monday, 1 November: A2 vs B1 – Victoria Falls
Tuesday, 2 November: B3 vs AB4 – Cape Town
Wednesday, 3 November: B2 vs A3 – Durban
Thursday, 4 November: A1 vs B1 – Paarl
Friday, 5 November: A2 vs AB4 – Durban
Saturday, 6 November: B2 vs B3 – Bloemfontein
Sunday, 7 November: A1 vs A3 – Cape Town
Monday, 8 November: B1 vs AB4 – Durban
Tuesday, 9 November: B2 vs A2 – Gqeberha
Wednesday, 10 November: A3 vs B3 – Bloemfontein
Thursday, 11 November: A1 vs AB4 – Gqeberha
Friday, 12 November: B2 vs B1 – Cape Town
Saturday, 13 November: A2 vs A3 – Bloemfontein
Sunday, 14 November: A1 vs B3 – Durban
Wednesday, 17 November: Semifinal 1 – Cape Town
Thursday, 18 November: Semifinal 2 – Tshwane
Wednesday, 17 November: Semifinal 1 – Cape Town
Article Source: IANS
