ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and India have been placed in the same group as the Interna-tional Cricket Council (ICC) announced the schedule and groups for the 2027 Men’s Cricket World Cup, which will be staged across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
The 14-team mega event will start with the ‘Super Series’, comprising three teams who would come through the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier, and will face each other in a round-robin format, with all three first-round matches scheduled to be played at the Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek on October 2, 4 and 6, respectively.
Following the Super Series, the top two teams in the standings will advance into the main round, which will feature a total of 12 teams, divided into two groups, unveiled earlier today. Traditional rivals Pakistan and India, alongside defending champions Australia, have been slotted in Group A, which further features Afghanistan, co-host Zimbabwe and Qualifier A, which would come through the Super Series.
Group B, on the other hand, features Bangladesh, England, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, co-hosts South Africa and Qualifier B.
Group Stage action will begin on October 7 in Cape Town with a repeat of the 2023 World Cup final, as defending champions Australia face India.
Co-hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe will begin their campaigns on October 9 and 11 respectively. South Africa will face New Zealand in Cape Town, while Zimbabwe will take on Afghanistan in Bulawayo.
South Africa and Zimbabwe qualified directly as hosts, along with the eight highest-ranked teams in the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings at the September 30, 2026 cut-off.
The remaining four places will be decided through the Cricket World Cup Qualifier. The top-placed team will qualify directly for the Group Stage, while the other three teams will enter the Super Series for the remaining Group Stage berth.
The top three teams from each group, along with the better-performing fourth-placed team, will advance to the Super 7 phase. –Agencies
