India set for Australia, Pakistan blockbusters at 2027 World Cup
Cape Town and Johannesburg set for high-stakes India clashes
Cape Town: India will meet defending champions Australia and bitter rivals Pakistan in their first two matches at the 2027 Cricket World Cup, the International Cricket Council announced on Thursday.
The India-Australia match, a repeat of the 2023 final, will be in Cape Town on October 7 and the India-Pakistan clash will take place in Johannesburg three days later.
The tournament, hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, will start on October 2 and the final will be played on November 27.
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The group match between India and Pakistan will be played at the Wanderers Stadium, the tournament's biggest venue and tickets are almost certain to be in high demand.
Co-hosts Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and a qualifier will be the other teams in Group A.
Zimbabwe will play all of their group matches at home, with two matches in Bulawayo, two in Harare and the last fixture in the group against India at Victoria Falls.
Main hosts South Africa will play their first match in Group B against New Zealand in Cape Town on October 9, a day after England play the opening match in the group against Bangladesh in Windhoek, Namibia.
England will meet two of their main rivals in the group in Gqeberha. They will play South Africa on October 16 and New Zealand on October 23.
Also in Group B will be Sri Lanka and a qualifier.
Star India batsman Virat Kohli, 37, said in a televised interview at the launch in Cape Town that it would be his last World Cup.
He said that the intensity of a World Cup was like nothing else in cricket.
"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," said Kohli.
Australian captain Pat Cummins 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."
After a preliminary round to eliminate two of the three lowest-ranked teams, 12 teams will be split into two groups for round-robin matches before the top three in each group, and the best fourth-placed team, qualify for a Super Seven phase, followed by semi-finals and the final.
Because of political tensions between the two countries, India and Pakistan have only played each other in ICC events since Pakistan toured India for three one-day internationals and two Twenty20 internationals in December 2012.
The rivalry is intense despite India having won all eight matches against Pakistan in Cricket World Cups and eight out of nine in T20 World Cups.
Fixtures
Preliminary group: Three teams will play in a round robin series in Windhoek from October 2 with one team advancing to the group stage.
Group A:
October 7 - India v Australia, Cape Town
October 8 - Pakistan v Afghanistan, Centurion
October 9 - Zimbabwe v Qualifier A, Bulawayo
October 10 - India v Pakistan, Johannesburg
October 11 - Zimbabwe v Afghanistan, Bulawayo
October 12 - Australia v Qualifier A, Paarl
October 14 - India v Afghanistan, Centurion
October 15 - Pakistan v Qualifier A, Bloemfontein; Zimbabwe v Australia, Harare
October 17 - India v Qualifier A, Bloemfontein
October 18 - Australia v Afghanistan, KuGompo City (formerly East London)
October 19 - Zimbabwe v Pakistan, Harare
October 21 - Afghanistan v Qualifier A, KuGompo City
October 22 - Australia v Pakistan, Paarl
October 24 - Zimbabwe v India, Victoria Falls
Group B:
October 8 - England v Bangladesh, Windhoek
October 9 - South Africa v New Zealand, Cape Town
October 10 - Sri Lanka v Qualifier B, Windhoek
October 12 - New Zealand v Bangladesh, KuGompo City
October 13 - England v Sri Lanka, Windhoek; South Africa v Qualifier B, Paarl
October 16 - Sri Lanka v Bangladesh, Durban; South Africa v England, Gqeberha
October 17 - New Zealand v Qualifier B, Harare
October 19 - South Africa v Bangladesh, Durban
October 20 - New Zealand v Sri Lanka, Johannesburg; England v Qualifier B, Harare
October 22 - South Africa v Sri Lanka, Johannesburg
October 23 - England v New Zealand, Gqeberha
October 23 - Bangladesh v Qualifier B, Centurion
Super Sevens:
Seven teams will compete in a round-robin phase from October 25 to November 14, with the top four teams advancing to the semi-finals.
Semi-finals:
November 17 - Cape Town
November 18 - Centurion
Final:
November 21 - Johannesburg
