The ICC Cricket World Cup 2027 schedule was announced on Thursday, with the marquee India-Pakistan clash set for October 10 in Johannesburg. The tournament, hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, will begin on October 2 and conclude with the final on November 27.
India will open their campaign against defending champions Australia in Cape Town on October 7, a repeat of the 2023 final. Three days later, they will face bitter rivals Pakistan at the Wanderers Stadium, the tournament’s biggest venue, where tickets are expected to be in huge demand.
The announcement was made by the International Cricket Council, confirming the much-anticipated Cricket World Cup 2027 schedule. The India-Australia match will be a early test for Rohit Sharma’s side, while the India-Pakistan encounter will once again capture global attention.
Group A includes co-hosts Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and a qualifier alongside India and Pakistan. Zimbabwe will play all their group matches at home, with fixtures in Bulawayo and Harare, and their final group game against India at Victoria Falls.
Main hosts South Africa will begin their Group B campaign against New Zealand in Cape Town on October 9, a day after England face Bangladesh in the opening match in Windhoek, Namibia. England will also meet South Africa in Gqeberha on October 16 and New Zealand on October 23. Sri Lanka and a qualifier complete Group B.
Star India batsman Virat Kohli, 37, announced in a televised interview at the launch in Cape Town that this would be his last World Cup. “To maintain that intensity for 10 games takes a lot out of you in foreign conditions. It’s the last World Cup I am going to play for India and my motivation is to leave everything out there,” Kohli said.
Australian captain Pat Cummins, whose side beat India in the 2023 final, said of the opening match: “Anytime you play India, you feel there are a billion people watching. It’s going to be great. I still get called up all the time about that 2023 final and they’ll be up for revenge.”
The tournament format will see a preliminary round to eliminate two of the three lowest-ranked teams, after which 12 teams will be split into two groups for round-robin matches. The top three from each group and the best fourth-placed team will qualify for a Super Seven phase, followed by semi-finals and the final.
Due to political tensions, India and Pakistan have only met in ICC events since Pakistan toured India in December 2012. India have won all eight of their Cricket World Cup meetings and eight out of nine in T20 World Cups, but the rivalry remains as intense as ever.
With the Cricket World Cup 2027 schedule now confirmed, fans can look forward to a mouth-watering India-Pakistan showdown in Johannesburg on October 10.
Source: ARY News