ICC World Cup 2027: India and Pakistan to clash in pool phase

 India and Pakistan have been drawn in the same group at the 2027 Cricket World Cup and will clash at The Wanderers in Johannesburg on October 10 next year as the fixtures for the tournament were announced on Thursday.

India also have Australia in their pool in a repeat of the 2023 final. Their encounter will open the second stage of the World Cup in Cape Town on October 7, with the tournament co-hosted by South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

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India and Pakistan have a fierce rivalry on the cricket pitch, fuelled by political tensions between the subcontinent neighbours.

There will likely be a fervent atmosphere at the Wanderers, nicknamed the 'Bullring', a high-scoring ground that will also stage the final on November 21.

Afghanistan, co-hosts Zimbabwe and an as yet unknown qualifier are also in Group A with the top three teams in each pool advancing to the Super 7 phase, along with the best of the fourth-placed teams across the two pools.

Co-hosts South Africa, who have yet to lift the World Cup, are in Group B with England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and another qualifier.

The first stage of the competition is a round-robin three-team event that starts on October 2 and will produce the final qualifier for the second stage.

How does the new format work?

The 14-team tournament takes a new look for the 2027 edition, with three different phases ahead of the semi-finals.

First, the Super Series featuring three teams provides the first action at the tournament. The second, third and fourth-placed teams from the Cricket World Cup Qualifier will play each other once in the Super Series, with the top-placed team taking the last group stage spot.

The winner of the Cricket World Cup Qualifier, the Super Series and the 10 automatic qualifiers teams for the competition are split into two groups of six, with teams playing the other five teams in their group once.

The top three teams move on to the Super 7 phase, as well as the better fourth-place finisher across the two groups.

Points do not carry over from the group stage to the Super 7 phase, and all teams will play each other in this phase. The top four will qualify for the semi-finals, with the top-placed finisher from the Super 7 facing the fourth-placed finisher, and second taking on third.

Winners of the semi-finals go on to the final in Johannesburg, scheduled for 21 November. The semi-finals and the final have assigned reserved days if needed.

2027 Cricket World Cup Group and Fixtures:

Group A: Afghanistan, Australia, India, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Qualifier A

Group B: Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Qualifier B

Group A:

October 7 - India v Australia, Cape Town

October 8 - Pakistan v Afghanistan, Centurion

October 9 - Zimbabwe v Qualifier A, Bulawayo

October 10 - India v Pakistan, Johannesburg

October 11 - Zimbabwe v Afghanistan, Bulawayo

October 12 - Australia v Qualifier A, Paarl

October 14 - India v Afghanistan, Centurion

October 15 - Pakistan v Qualifier A, Bloemfontein; Zimbabwe v Australia, Harare

October 17 - India v Qualifier A, Bloemfontein

October 18 - Australia v Afghanistan, KuGompo City (formerly East London)

October 19 - Zimbabwe v Pakistan, Harare

October 21 - Afghanistan v Qualifier A, KuGompo City

October 22 - Australia v Pakistan, Paarl

October 24 - Zimbabwe v India, Victoria Falls

Group B:

October 8 - England v Bangladesh, Windhoek

October 9 - South Africa v New Zealand, Cape Town

October 10 - Sri Lanka v Qualifier B, Windhoek

October 12 - New Zealand v Bangladesh, KuGompo City

October 13 - England v Sri Lanka, Windhoek; South Africa v Qualifier B, Paarl

October 16 - Sri Lanka v Bangladesh, Durban; South Africa v England, Gqeberha

October 17 - New Zealand v Qualifier B, Harare

October 19 - South Africa v Bangladesh, Durban

October 20 - New Zealand v Sri Lanka, Johannesburg; England v Qualifier B, Harare

October 22 - South Africa v Sri Lanka, Johannesburg

October 23 - England v New Zealand, Gqeberha

October 23 - Bangladesh v Qualifier B, Centurion

Super Sevens:

Seven teams will compete in a round-robin phase from October 25 to November 14, with the top four teams advancing to the semi-finals.

Seven teams have been pre-seeded but will be replaced by an unseeded team if they do not qualify.

The pre-seedings are: A1 India, A2 Australia, A3 Pakistan, AB4 England; B1 New Zealand, B2 South Africa, B3 Sri Lanka.

Super Seven fixtures:

October  25 - A2 v B3, Johannesburg

October  26 - B1 v A3, Gqeberha

October  27 - B2 v AB4, Centurion

October  28 - A1 v A2, Victoria Falls

October  29 - B1 v B3, KuGompo City

October  30 - A3 v AB4, Victoria Falls

October  31 - B2 v A1, Johannesburg

November  1 - A2 v B1, Victoria Falls

November  2 - B3 v AB4, Cape Town

November  3 - B2 v A3, Durban

November  4 - A1 v B1, Paarl

November  5 - A2 v AB4, Durban

November  6 - B2 v B3, Bloemfontein

November  7 - A1 v A3, Cape Town

November  8 - B1 v AB4, Durban

November  9 - B2 v A2, Gqeberha

November 10 - A3 v B3, Bloemfontein

November 11 - A1 v AB4, Gqeberha

November 12 - B2 v B1, Cape Town

November 13 - A2 v A3, Bloemfontein

November 14 - A1 v B3, Durban

Semifinals:

November 17 - Cape Town

November 18 - Centurion

Final:

November 21 - Johannesburg