India and Pakistan will meet in the group stage of the 2027 ODI World Cup, with defending champions Australia also drawn into the same group for the tournament in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

The ICC revealed the 14-team World Cup groups on Thursday at the schedule launch in Cape Town, confirming a heavyweight Group A featuring India, Pakistan, Australia, Afghanistan, co-hosts Zimbabwe and the winner of Qualifier A.

For cricket fans, the draw guarantees another India-Pakistan contest on the biggest stage. India currently top the ODI rankings, while Shubman Gill will lead the team at his first ODI World Cup.

Who is in each World Cup group?

Group AIndia, Pakistan, Australia, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Qualifier A
Group BSouth Africa, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Qualifier B

Ten teams have already qualified directly for the tournament. They are India, Pakistan, Australia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The remaining places will be decided through the qualification process, with the final entrant into the main tournament coming from a new pre-tournament contest.

When will the 2027 ODI World Cup begin?

The World Cup will start on October 2, 2027, with the final scheduled for November 21.

The tournament will feature 57 matches across 12 venues in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. It will be the first ODI World Cup staged in Africa since the 2003 edition, when South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya jointly hosted the competition.

A new format will decide the champion

The 2027 World Cup will have a different route to the semifinals.

Before the main tournament, the teams ranked 12th, 13th and 14th will play a Super Series to determine the final qualifying spot.

The winner will join the 11 already-qualified teams in the main competition. Those 12 teams will be split into two groups of six.

The top three from each group will then move into a seven-team Super 7 round-robin stage, joined by the next-best team from the two groups.

The four highest-ranked teams in the Super 7 will advance to the semifinals. The two semifinal winners will then meet in the World Cup final on November 21.

Where will the matches be played?

South Africa will host the bulk of the tournament, with matches scheduled at eight venues: Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, Centurion in Tshwane, Newlands in Cape Town, Kingsmead in Durban, St George’s Park in Gqeberha, Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein, Boland Park in Paarl and Buffalo Park in KuGompo City, formerly East London.

Zimbabwe will stage matches at Harare Sports Club, Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo and the newly developed Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls.

Namibia will host its World Cup matches at the newly built Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek.

With IANS inputs