New Delhi [India], October 1 (ANI): India will begin their ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2027 campaign against defending champions Australia in Cape Town on October 7, with the much-anticipated clash against Pakistan scheduled for October 10 in Johannesburg. The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the tournament schedule on Thursday.
India have been placed in Group A alongside Australia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Qualifier A for the 14-team tournament, which will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
The opening fixture will see India take on Australia in a repeat of the 2023 World Cup final. The two teams had met in the summit clash in Ahmedabad, where Australia won the title. The 2027 group-stage meeting will take place at Cape Town’s Newlands Cricket Ground.
India will then face arch-rivals Pakistan on October 10 at Johannesburg’s Wanderers Stadium.
India’s remaining group-stage fixtures will see them take on Afghanistan on October 14 in Tshwane, Qualifier A on October 17 in Bloemfontein and co-hosts Zimbabwe on October 24 at Victoria Falls.
The tournament will begin on October 2 with a three-team Super Series in Windhoek to determine the final team for the Group Stage.
The main Group Stage will get underway on October 7, with the top three teams from each group and the better fourth-placed side advancing to the Super 7 phase.
The seven teams qualifying for the Super 7 phase will start with no points carried over from the Group Stage, with each team set to play six more matches between October 25 and November 14.
To provide greater clarity to fans, teams and stakeholders, several teams have been pre-seeded into designated Super 7 positions. The system will provide greater certainty around potential venues and fixture pathways, allowing fans to plan their travel, attendance and ticket purchases, according to the ICC website.
The pre-seeded positions 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, 2027, with A2 taking on B3 in Johannesburg. Therefore, the fixture will be Australia against Sri Lanka if both teams qualify for the Super 7 stage.
If a non-seeded team qualifies for the Super 7 phase while a pre-seeded team fails to qualify, the qualifying team will take the position allocated to the pre-seeded team it has displaced, according to the ICC website.
For instance, if Bangladesh qualify for the Super 7 phase and Sri Lanka do not, Bangladesh will take the B3 position and face Australia on October 25.
The seeding system is intended to maintain the integrity of the qualification process while providing greater certainty over fixtures and venues for fans, according to the ICC website.
Since India have been pre-seeded as A1 for the Super 7 phase, they will potentially be facing Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka during the stage, depending on qualification and the tournament progression.
The semi-finals are scheduled for November 17 and 18 in Cape Town and Tshwane respectively, while the final will be played in Johannesburg on November 21, with November 22 kept as the reserve day.
The 2027 World Cup will feature 57 matches across 12 venues in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. The tournament will return to Africa for the first time since the 2003 edition.
India’s fixtures at the World Cup 2027
Thursday, 7 October 2027 – India v Australia – Cape Town
Sunday, 10 October 2027 – India v Pakistan – Johannesburg
Thursday, 14 October 2027 – India v Afghanistan – Tshwane
Sunday, 17 October 2027 – India v Qualifier A – Bloemfontein
Sunday, 24 October 2027 – Zimbabwe v India – Victoria Falls
Super 7 Stage (current seeded team in brackets)
Thursday, 28 October 2027 – A1 (India) v A2 (Australia) – Victoria Falls
Sunday, 31 October 2027 – B2 (South Africa) v A1 (India) – Johannesburg
Thursday, 4 November 2027 – A1 (India) v B1 (New Zealand) – Paarl
Sunday, 7 November 2027 – A1 (India) v A3 (Pakistan) – Cape Town
Thursday, 11 November 2027 – A1 (India) v AB4 (England) – Gqeberha
Sunday, 14 November 2027 – A1 (India) v B3 (Sri Lanka) – Durban
Semi Finals
Wednesday, 17 November 2027 – Semi-Final 1 – Cape Town
Thursday, 18 November 2027 – Semi-Final 2 – Tshwane
Final
Sunday, 21 November 2027 – Final – Johannesburg. (ANI)
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