The India-Pakistan World Cup clash will take place in Johannesburg on October 10, 2027, as the ICC confirms the full tournament schedule.
JOHANNESBURG: The India-Pakistan World Cup clash has been confirmed for October 10, 2027, at The Wanderers in Johannesburg after the International Cricket Council unveiled the schedule for the next men’s ODI World Cup. The tournament will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, with the main competition running from October 2 to November 21, 2027.
India and Pakistan drawn together in Group A
India and Pakistan have been placed in Group A alongside Australia, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and one qualifier still to be determined.
India are scheduled to begin their group-stage campaign against defending champions Australia at Newlands in Cape Town on October 7. Three days later, they will face Pakistan at The Wanderers, one of South Africa’s best-known cricket venues.
The India-Pakistan World Cup fixture is likely to attract significant global attention given the large audiences traditionally associated with matches between the two teams.
Group B features co-hosts South Africa alongside England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and another qualifier.
New format introduces Super 7 stage
The 2027 tournament will use a revised structure involving 14 teams and three phases before the semi-finals.
A preliminary Super Series will determine the final group-stage participant. The main group stage will then feature two groups of six teams, with each side playing the other teams in its group once.
The top three teams from each group, along with the better fourth-placed side across both groups, will advance to the Super 7 phase. Points from the group stage will not carry forward.
Teams reaching the Super 7 will play six more matches, with the top four progressing to the semi-finals scheduled for November 17 and November 18.
Johannesburg to host the final
The Wanderers will also stage the World Cup final on November 21, giving Johannesburg a central role in the tournament.
Across the three host countries, matches will be played at 12 venues. South African host cities include Cape Town, Paarl, Johannesburg, Tshwane, Bloemfontein, Durban, KuGompo City and Gqeberha. Zimbabwe will stage matches in Harare, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls, while Windhoek will represent Namibia.
The India-Pakistan World Cup meeting therefore becomes one of the major early fixtures in a tournament stretching across southern Africa for nearly seven weeks.
Impact to expect
The confirmed schedule gives supporters more time to plan travel and ticket purchases, while host cities can prepare for increased international visitors. The October 10 fixture in Johannesburg is also expected to generate particularly strong interest from cricket audiences across South Asia and worldwide.
