India, Pakistan and defending champions Australia will share the same group at the 2027 Cricket World Cup, setting up two major matches early in the tournament.
The International Cricket Council announced the schedule on Thursday. India will face Australia in Cape Town on October 7 before meeting Pakistan in Johannesburg three days later.
The India-Australia match will revive memories of the 2023 World Cup final. Australia defeated India in that final to claim the title.
The India-Pakistan clash is expected to attract major attention. The match will be played at Johannesburg’s Wanderers Stadium, the largest venue in the tournament. Tickets are expected to be in high demand.
The 2027 World Cup will begin on October 4 and will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. The final is scheduled for November 27.
Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and one qualifier will also join India, Pakistan and Australia in Group A.
The tournament will begin with a preliminary round designed to eliminate two of the three lowest-ranked teams. The remaining 12 teams will then be divided into two groups for round-robin matches.
The top three teams from each group, along with the best fourth-placed team, will advance to the Super Seven stage. The tournament will then move into the semi-finals before the final.
Political tensions have limited India-Pakistan cricket to ICC events since Pakistan’s tour of India in 2012, when the teams played three ODIs and two T20Is.
Their World Cup rivalry has produced a one-sided record. India have won all eight previous Cricket World Cup matches against Pakistan and eight of nine meetings in T20 World Cups.
The 2027 tournament will therefore bring another highly anticipated India-Pakistan encounter alongside a major India-Australia contest.
