A Cape Town opener, a Johannesburg rivalry clash and a new Super 7 stage shape India’s route through the tournament in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
India will begin their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 campaign against defending champions Australia in Cape Town on October 7, bringing the two finalists from 2023 together for the opening match of the group stage. Three days later, India meet Pakistan in Johannesburg in one of the tournament’s standout fixtures.
The competition begins earlier, on October 2, with a three-team Super Series in Windhoek. The final is scheduled for November 21 in Johannesburg, following semi-finals in Cape Town and Tshwane.
India’s group-stage schedule
India have been drawn in Group A alongside Australia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Qualifier A. Their five group games take them to five different cities, with the final assignment against Zimbabwe at the new Mosi-oa-Tunya Stadium in Victoria Falls.
| Date (2027) | Match | Venue / city |
|---|---|---|
| October 7 | India vs Australia | Cape Town |
| October 10 | India vs Pakistan | Johannesburg |
| October 14 | India vs Afghanistan | Tshwane |
| October 17 | India vs Qualifier A | Bloemfontein |
| October 24 | Zimbabwe vs India | Victoria Falls |
The two groups
Group A
India, Australia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Qualifier A.
Group B
New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, England, Bangladesh and Qualifier B.
How the Super Series and Super 7 work
The revised structure gives the tournament three distinct phases before the knockouts. Fourteen teams participate overall, but only 12 enter the main group stage.
- Super Series: The second, third and fourth finishers in the World Cup Qualifier meet in a three-match round robin in Windhoek on October 2, 4 and 6. Only the winner advances. The Qualifier champion enters the group stage directly.
- Group stage: Two groups of six play a round robin. The top three in each group qualify, together with the better-performing fourth-placed team across the two groups.
- Super 7: Seven teams start afresh with no points carried over. Each plays the other six between October 25 and November 14.
- Knockouts: The top four reach the semi-finals. First plays fourth, and second plays third, with the winners contesting the final.
What pre-seeding means for India
India are assigned A1, Australia A2, Pakistan A3, England B4, New Zealand B1, South Africa B2 and Sri Lanka B3. These codes fix potential fixture pathways and venue allocations; they do not guarantee qualification or represent the eventual Super 7 standings.
If an unseeded team advances while a seeded side misses out, it takes the displaced team’s designated position.
Qualification: ten teams confirmed, four places to decide
Hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe qualified automatically. India, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, England, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh secured places through the ODI rankings at the September 30, 2026 cut-off.
The remaining four tournament places will be determined through the World Cup Qualifier. Its winner goes straight into the group stage, while the other three qualified teams compete in the Super Series for the final group-stage berth. Namibia’s role as a co-host does not provide automatic qualification; West Indies are also set to take part in the Qualifier.
World Cup 2027: full match schedule
All dates below are in 2027. Match start times and IST conversions are not included in the supplied schedule. India fixtures are highlighted in blue. On smaller screens, swipe horizontally to read the tables.
Super Series • October 2–6
QF1, QF2 and QF3 are the fixture labels for the three Super Series teams.
| Date (2027) | Match | Venue / city |
|---|---|---|
| October 2 | QF1 vs QF3 | Windhoek |
| October 4 | QF1 vs QF2 | Windhoek |
| October 6 | QF2 vs QF3 | Windhoek |
Group A • October 7–24
| Date (2027) | Match | Venue / city |
|---|---|---|
| October 7 | India vs Australia | Cape Town |
| October 8 | Pakistan vs Afghanistan | Tshwane |
| October 9 | Zimbabwe vs Qualifier A | Bulawayo |
| October 10 | India vs Pakistan | Johannesburg |
| October 11 | Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan | Bulawayo |
| October 12 | Australia vs Qualifier A | Paarl |
| October 14 | India vs Afghanistan | Tshwane |
| October 15 | Pakistan vs Qualifier A | Bloemfontein |
| October 15 | Zimbabwe vs Australia | Harare |
| October 17 | India vs Qualifier A | Bloemfontein |
| October 18 | Australia vs Afghanistan | KuGompo City |
| October 19 | Zimbabwe vs Pakistan | Harare |
| October 21 | Afghanistan vs Qualifier A | KuGompo City |
| October 22 | Australia vs Pakistan | Paarl |
| October 24 | Zimbabwe vs India | Victoria Falls |
Group B • October 8–23
| Date (2027) | Match | Venue / city |
|---|---|---|
| October 8 | England vs Bangladesh | Windhoek |
| October 9 | South Africa vs New Zealand | Cape Town |
| October 10 | Sri Lanka vs Qualifier B | Windhoek |
| October 12 | New Zealand vs Bangladesh | KuGompo City |
| October 13 | England vs Sri Lanka | Windhoek |
| October 13 | South Africa vs Qualifier B | Paarl |
| October 16 | Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh | Durban |
| October 16 | South Africa vs England | Gqeberha |
| October 17 | New Zealand vs Qualifier B | Harare |
| October 19 | South Africa vs Bangladesh | Durban |
| October 20 | New Zealand vs Sri Lanka | Johannesburg |
| October 20 | England vs Qualifier B | Harare |
| October 22 | South Africa vs Sri Lanka | Johannesburg |
| October 23 | England vs New Zealand | Gqeberha |
| October 23 | Bangladesh vs Qualifier B | Tshwane |
Super 7 • October 25–November 14
Fixtures are listed by pre-seeded position. The teams occupying these positions will depend on qualification from the group stage.
| Date (2027) | Match | Venue / city |
|---|---|---|
| October 25 | A2 vs B3 | Johannesburg |
| October 26 | B1 vs A3 | Gqeberha |
| October 27 | B2 vs B4 | Tshwane |
| October 28 | A1 vs A2 | Victoria Falls |
| October 29 | B1 vs B3 | KuGompo City |
| October 30 | A3 vs B4 | Victoria Falls |
| October 31 | B2 vs A1 | Johannesburg |
| November 1 | A2 vs B1 | Victoria Falls |
| November 2 | B3 vs B4 | Cape Town |
| November 3 | B2 vs A3 | Durban |
| November 4 | A1 vs B1 | Paarl |
| November 5 | A2 vs B4 | Durban |
| November 6 | B2 vs B3 | Bloemfontein |
| November 7 | A1 vs A3 | Cape Town |
| November 8 | B1 vs B4 | Durban |
| November 9 | B2 vs A2 | Gqeberha |
| November 10 | A3 vs B3 | Bloemfontein |
| November 11 | A1 vs B4 | Gqeberha |
| November 12 | B2 vs B1 | Cape Town |
| November 13 | A2 vs A3 | Bloemfontein |
| November 14 | A1 vs B3 | Durban |
Both semi-finals and the final have reserve days. Johannesburg will host the title match on November 21, with November 22 available as the final’s reserve day.
Where the World Cup will be played
Eight venues in South Africa, three in Zimbabwe and one in Namibia will stage the tournament. Windhoek hosts every Super Series game as well as three group matches.
| Country | Host cities / venues |
|---|---|
| South Africa | Cape Town, Paarl, Johannesburg, Tshwane, Bloemfontein, Durban, KuGompo City and Gqeberha |
| Zimbabwe | Harare, Bulawayo and Mosi-oa-Tunya Stadium in Victoria Falls |
| Namibia | Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek |
Why India’s early matches matter
Australia and Pakistan arrive within India’s first four days of group-stage action, giving the campaign an immediate test against two major opponents. India then face Afghanistan, Qualifier A and Zimbabwe as they seek a direct top-three route into the Super 7.
Advancing would bring six further league matches with a clean points slate. That reset makes consistency in the second phase decisive: qualification from the group is only the first step towards a semi-final place.
