The International Cricket Council (ICC) finally unveiled the full schedule for the upcoming ODI World Cup, set to be played in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe in October-November next year. The 57-match tournament will begin on October 2, and India will begin their campaign on October 7 against the defending champions, Australia, at Newlands in Cape Town. Two days later, the Men in Blue will take the field against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.
India are placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, Australia, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Qualifier A. The 2027 World Cup will get underway on October 2 with a Super Series hosted in Namibia, featuring the three lowest-ranked of the 14 qualified teams. These three teams will compete in a round robin format, with the team finishing top of the standings progressing to the Group Stage.
After this, the 12 teams that secured a direct entry into the tournament will be divided into two groups. Group B comprises New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, England, Bangladesh, and Qualifier B.
The group stage will be followed by a Super Sevens tournament to determine the semi-finalists. The seedings have already been decided, and no matter where India finishes in the group stage, they will be regarded as A1, and if any team knocks India out, they will take the Men in Blue’s position as A1.
Because of this new format, India and Pakistan are all but set to face each other once again in the Super 7s stage, and if both teams qualify, the contest would go ahead on November 7 at the Wanderers.
Here’s the full India group stage schedule at the 2027 World Cup:
October 7: India vs Australia – Newlands, Cape Town – 1:30 PM
October 10: India vs Pakistan – Wanderers, Johannesburg – 1:30 PM
October 14: India vs Afghanistan – Tshwane – 1:30 PM
October 17: India vs Qualifier A – Bloemfontein – 1:30 PM
October 24: India vs Zimbabwe – Victoria Falls – 1:30 PM
India’s potential schedule in Super 7s
October 28: A1 vs A2 (Most likely India vs Australia) – 1:30 PM – Tshwane
October 31: B2 vs A1 (Most likely South Africa vs India) – 1:30 PM – Johannesburg
November 4: A1 vs B1 (Most likely India vs New Zealand) – 1:30 PM – Paarl
November 7: A1 vs A3 (Most likely India vs Pakistan) – 1:30 PM – Cape Town
November 10: A1 vs AB4 (Most likely India vs TBD) – 1:30 PM – Gqeberha
November 14: A1 vs B3 (Most likely India vs England) – 1:30 PM – Durhan
November 17: Semi-final 1 – Cape Town
November 18: Semi-final 2 –
November 21: Final – Johannesburg