The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 is scheduled from 2 October to 21 November 2027, with South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia sharing hosting duties. Fourteen teams will take part in a 57-match One Day International tournament, beginning with a short Super Series before the group stage. India are in Group A and are scheduled to open their campaign against Australia at Newlands in Cape Town on 7 October.
Tournament dates and overall schedule
The tournament’s first action is due to take place in Windhoek, Namibia, on 2 October. Three Super Series matches are listed for 2, 4 and 6 October, involving the qualifying teams that enter the initial play-in stage. The group stage then begins on 7 October and continues until 24 October.
The competition has been designed around four stages: the Super Series, a two-group stage, the Super 7 and the knockout rounds. This gives the World Cup a shorter structure than a full round-robin involving every team, while still creating multiple stages for sides that progress.
The final is scheduled for 21 November at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. The semi-finals are assigned to Newlands in Cape Town and SuperSport Park in Centurion. The long gap between the Super 7 fixtures and the knockout stage leaves room for the tournament’s later rounds across November.
How the 14-team format works
The first stage is the Super Series, a three-match round-robin involving the three lowest-seeded teams in the final 14-team field. The winner advances to the 12-team main pool. The early fixtures are all scheduled at Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek.
The 12 teams in the main event are divided into two groups of six. Each side plays the other five teams in its own group, producing 30 group-stage matches. The top three teams in each group qualify for the next phase, joined by the better of the two fourth-placed teams.
That leaves seven teams for the Super 7, a single round-robin stage featuring 21 matches. Each of the seven sides plays the other six once. The top four then reach the semi-finals, with first playing fourth and second playing third. The two semi-final winners meet in the final.
| Stage | Teams | Matches | Progression |
| Super Series | 3 | 3 | Winner moves into the main pool |
| Group stage | 12 | 30 | Top three in each group plus best fourth-placed team advance |
| Super 7 | 7 | 21 | Top four reach the semi-finals |
| Knockout stage | 4 | 3 | Two semi-finals and the final |
For followers assessing team form through the event, cricket betting tips are most useful when considered alongside confirmed team selection, venue conditions and the exact stage of the competition rather than as a substitute for those factors.
Confirmed teams and remaining qualification places
Ten of the 14 World Cup positions were confirmed by the 30 September 2026 ranking deadline. South Africa and Zimbabwe qualified automatically as hosts. The next eight places went to Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka through the ICC ODI rankings.
Namibia will co-host the competition for the first time, but it does not have an automatic place in the field. Its route is through the standard qualification pathway. Four World Cup places remain to be decided through the 2027 Cricket World Cup Qualifier, scheduled from 26 February to 21 March 2027 in Namibia and South Africa.
Qualified teams
| Qualification route | Teams |
| Hosts | South Africa, Zimbabwe |
| ICC ODI rankings qualification | Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka |
| Still to be decided | Four teams from the 2027 Cricket World Cup Qualifier |
The qualification process matters directly to the opening phase. The qualifier winner advances to the second round, while other qualifying sides feed into the Super Series and the remaining group-stage places. Until those matches are complete, the schedule uses placeholders such as Qualifier A and Qualifier B.
India’s Group A fixtures
India have been placed in Group A alongside Australia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Qualifier A. Their first group fixture is a high-profile match against Australia in Cape Town on 7 October. India then play Pakistan at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on 10 October.
The group-stage schedule gives India fixtures at five different grounds. After facing Afghanistan in Centurion on 14 October, India meet Qualifier A in Bloemfontein on 17 October. Their last listed group match is against Zimbabwe at the Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls on 24 October.
| Date | Match | Venue |
| 7 October | India v Australia | Newlands, Cape Town |
| 10 October | India v Pakistan | The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg |
| 14 October | India v Afghanistan | SuperSport Park, Centurion |
| 17 October | India v Qualifier A | Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein |
| 24 October | Zimbabwe v India | Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium, Victoria Falls |
The India-Pakistan fixture is especially notable because it arrives early in the group phase. With only five group matches per team, each result has considerable importance. A side cannot rely on a long league schedule to recover from a poor start, particularly when only three automatic places are available from each six-team group.
Group B and early headline fixtures
Group B contains New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, England, Bangladesh and Qualifier B. South Africa begin against New Zealand at Newlands on 9 October, while England start their campaign against Bangladesh in Windhoek on 8 October.
Other early Group B fixtures include England against Sri Lanka in Windhoek on 13 October and South Africa against England at St George’s Park in Gqeberha on 16 October. New Zealand play Sri Lanka at the Wanderers Stadium on 20 October, before England and New Zealand meet in Gqeberha on 23 October.
The group schedule is spread across all three host countries, rather than isolating each group in one nation. Zimbabwe host Group A and Group B matches in Bulawayo and Harare, while Windhoek stages early Group B games as well as the complete Super Series. Victoria Falls enters the tournament schedule with Zimbabwe’s match against India before hosting Super 7 fixtures.
The 12 host venues
South Africa has eight listed venues: Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein, Newlands in Cape Town, SuperSport Park in Centurion, Kingsmead in Durban, Buffalo Park in East London, St George’s Park in Gqeberha, the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg and Boland Park in Paarl.
Zimbabwe’s venues are Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, Harare Sports Club and the Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls. Namibia’s sole venue is Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek.
The venue distribution gives the event a distinctly regional character. Cape Town, Centurion and Johannesburg are central to the knockout plan, while the Zimbabwean and Namibian venues play significant roles in the group and Super 7 stages. Namibia’s involvement is particularly important because Windhoek hosts the first three tournament matches.
What follows the group stage
The first Super 7 match is scheduled for 25 October at the Wanderers. The stage continues through early November, with listed matches in Johannesburg, Gqeberha, Centurion, Victoria Falls, East London, Cape Town, Durban and Paarl.
Unlike the group stage, the Super 7 does not separate teams by original group. It creates one combined table, so a team that reaches this phase faces opponents from both Group A and Group B. This makes the top-four race especially demanding, as qualification for the semi-finals depends on results across six matches rather than a direct knockout route.
The Cricket World Cup 2027 combines a 14-team field with a layered path to the title: a preliminary Super Series, two six-team groups, a seven-team round robin and knockout matches. India’s opening date, group opponents and venues are already defined, while the final four qualifiers will complete the field in March 2027.
