The countdown to cricket's biggest event on African soil officially began on Thursday (October 1) as the International Cricket Council (ICC) unveiled the schedule for the 2027 Men's ODI World Cup during a grand launch event in Cape Town.
The 14-team marquee event, set to be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, will kick off on October 2, 2027, and conclude with the final on November 21, 2027.
10 of the 14 participating nations have secured direct qualification based on the September 30 cut-off date. South Africa and Zimbabwe received automatic entry being the hosts, and are joined by top-ranked ODI teams -- India, Australia, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.
The remaining four slots will be decided through a multi-team global qualifier to be played early next year, with two-time champion West Indies set to feature in it and aim to qualify for the quadrennial event.
The groups for the next year’s World Cup place India, Pakistan, Australia, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and Qualifier A in Group A, while Group B features South Africa, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Qualifier B.
The three lowest-ranked teams determined by the global qualifiers in early 2027 will face each other on October 2, October 4 and October 6 in Windhoek to make the start of the tournament.
The two finalists of the previous edition, Australia and India, will square off in the first group stage-match of the tournament at the Newlands Stadium in Cape Town on October 7.
For Indian batting stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the 2027 ODI World Cup represents a final opportunity to cap off stellar international careers with championship glory.
India’s marquee clash with arch-rivals Pakistan is slated for October 10 at the iconic Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.
India’s next Group A match is due to be held on October 14 against Afghanistan in Tshwane. The Men in Blue will then face Qualifier A on October 17 in Bloemfontein, while their last group match is scheduled against Zimbabwe in Victoria Falls on October 24.
The first semifinal will be played in Cape Town on November 17, while Tshwane will host the second semifinal on November 18. The title clash will take place in Johannesburg.
Alongside the schedule release, the ICC also opened the global ticket ballot, giving fans worldwide a fair opportunity to secure their tickets across 12 host venues hosting 57 matches.
Earlier, in a media release, the ICC had confirmed that the 2027 ODI World Cup will feature four different stages -- a preliminary Super Series, a Group round split into two groups, a Super 7 round, and the Knockouts.
In Round 1, the three lowest-ranked qualified teams will play a Super Series, and only the top side will qualify for Round 2, where there would be two groups of 6. Top three teams from each group plus the next-highest-placed team overall will make it to the Super 7, while the top four teams from the Super 7 will progress to the semi-finals.
