The ICC and CSA are expected to make the announcement about the schedule of the 2027 World Cup in Cape Town on Thursday, October 1, which will not only mark the commencement of the year-long countdown but will also be marked by the sale of tickets for the game.
As reported earlier by Cricbuzz on August 15, the World Cup is supposed to begin on October 2, 2027—Gandhi Jayanti Day—and will end on November 21, 2027. The 2027 ICC World Cup will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
Ten of the 14 participating teams will have been confirmed for the World Cup by September 30, the cut-off date for qualification. Two of them will be the hosts, South Africa and Zimbabwe, while the other eight will make it on the basis of the ICC ODI rankings.
The remaining four teams will be finalized through the qualifiers and will be listed in the schedule as Qualifier 1, 2, 3, and 4. Though Namibia is also a host country for the World Cup, they will have to play the qualifiers to play in the event.
As of now, India (No. 1), New Zealand (No. 2), Pakistan (No. 4), Australia (No. 5), England (No. 6), Sri Lanka (No. 7), Afghanistan (No. 8) and Bangladesh (No. 9) are the eight teams in line to make the cut through the rankings.
Bangladesh has pipped the West Indies to make it into the World Cup, as South Africa, the third-ranked team, is the host, and the West Indies will play the qualifiers, which are scheduled to be held early next year.
The ICC will be starting the World Cup ticket ballot from Thursday. Though you won’t be able to buy any tickets right away, you can apply for your name to be included in the ticket ballot from October 1.
According to an ICC press statement, the 2027 World Cup will have three preliminary stages prior to the semi-finals and final. The tournament begins with a Super Series, where the three lowest-ranked sides amongst the 14 sides that made the cut battle out in a round-robin series. The side that emerges on top moves to the next level.
Round 2 consists of 30 matches, with 12 sides taking part, and they are divided into two groups of six who play in the round-robin series. The top three sides in each group, along with the best-performing side amongst the two groups, move on to the Super 7 round.
The Super 7 series has 21 matches lined up in the round-robin stage, with the top four sides moving on to the semi-finals. During the semi-final stage, the side on top of the Super 7 series faces the fourth-place side, whereas the second side battles the third-place side. The winners from these two semi-final matches move forward to the finals.
(Cricbuzz inputs)
