The Cricket World Cup 2027 runs from Saturday, October 2, to Sunday, November 21, 2027, across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Fourteen teams play 57 one-day internationals, with the final at Johannesburg’s Wanderers Stadium.
The Cricket World Cup 2027 is the 14th edition of the International Cricket Council’s men’s 50-over championship, and the first held in southern Africa since 2003.
It introduces a format no previous World Cup has used: a three-team Super Series, two groups of six, then a seven-team Super 7 round with no points carried over.
All three host countries keep the same clock, UTC+2, so every match in the tournament starts in the same time zone. Namibia is a co-host but not a guaranteed participant: it must qualify to play.
The tables below give the stage dates with weekdays, the full 33-match opening schedule, both groups, the 12 venues, and how to convert start times for viewers in eight countries.
Table of Contents
When is the Cricket World Cup 2027?
The Cricket World Cup 2027 starts on Saturday, October 2, 2027, with the first Super Series match in Windhoek, Namibia, and ends with the final in Johannesburg on Sunday, November 21, 2027.
The ICC published the fixtures on Thursday, October 1, 2026 (ICC media release). The tournament lasts 51 days, counting both the first and last matchdays.
Sources disagree on the start date. Wikipedia still lists Monday, October 4, 2027, a date given before the schedule was released. The ICC’s published schedule places the opening Super Series match on Saturday, October 2, and this page follows the ICC.
The table below lists each stage with its dates and number of matches.
| Stage | Start date | End date | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Series | Saturday, October 2, 2027 | Wednesday, October 6, 2027 | 3 |
| Group stage | Thursday, October 7, 2027 | Sunday, October 24, 2027 | 30 |
| Super 7 | Monday, October 25, 2027 | Sunday, November 14, 2027 | 21 |
| Semi-finals | Wednesday, November 17, 2027 | Thursday, November 18, 2027 | 2 |
| Final | Sunday, November 21, 2027 | Sunday, November 21, 2027 | 1 |
The final has a reserve day on Monday, November 22, 2027, and both semi-finals also have reserve days (ICC).
How the Cricket World Cup 2027 format works
The Cricket World Cup 2027 runs in four rounds, and teams enter at different points depending on how they qualified. The ICC describes the rounds as follows:
- Super Series. Three teams from the qualifiers play a round-robin in Windhoek on October 2, 4, and 6. The winner joins the group stage.
- Group stage. Twelve teams play in two groups of six, each a full round-robin. The top three in each group advance, plus the better of the two fourth-placed teams.
- Super 7. The seven remaining teams play a single round-robin, six matches each, from October 25 to November 14. No points carry over from the group stage. The top four reach the semi-finals.
- Knockouts. Two semi-finals and a final.
Why the Cricket World Cup 2027 needs a qualifier
Ten of the 14 places were filled automatically. Hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe qualified directly, and so did the eight highest-ranked teams in the ICC ODI Rankings on Wednesday, September 30, 2026 (Wikipedia).
The other four places come from the Cricket World Cup Qualifier, scheduled for February 22 to March 23, 2027. The qualifier’s top finisher goes straight into the group stage, and the other three play the Super Series.
Namibia is not among the automatic qualifiers because it is not an ICC full member. Neither is West Indies, champion in 1975 and 1979. If Namibia fails to qualify, it will host the Super Series and four group matches in Windhoek without playing in its own World Cup.
Cricket World Cup 2027 groups
The Cricket World Cup 2027 group stage has two groups of six: Group A contains India, Australia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Qualifier A; Group B contains South Africa, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Qualifier B (ICC; Sky Sports).
The table below sets the two groups side by side.
| Group A | Group B |
|---|---|
| India | South Africa (co-host) |
| Australia (defending champion) | England |
| Pakistan | New Zealand |
| Afghanistan | Sri Lanka |
| Zimbabwe (co-host) | Bangladesh |
| Qualifier A | Qualifier B |
Group A holds three of the last five champions, India (2011) and Australia (2015 and 2023), as well as the India v Pakistan fixture. England avoid both India and Australia until the Super 7.
Cricket World Cup 2027 schedule
The Cricket World Cup 2027 schedule names every match up to the end of the group stage on Sunday, October 24, 2027. Super 7 pairings depend on group results, so the ICC lists them by date and venue only.
Super Series and group stage fixtures
The table below lists all 33 opening-round matches. Fixtures come from the ICC’s published schedule. The first seven group matches are cross-checked against the ICC media release, England’s five against Sky Sports, and further matches against ECAL.
| Date | Round | Match | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, October 2 | Super Series | Qualifier 1 v Qualifier 3 | Windhoek |
| Monday, October 4 | Super Series | Qualifier 1 v Qualifier 2 | Windhoek |
| Wednesday, October 6 | Super Series | Qualifier 2 v Qualifier 3 | Windhoek |
| Thursday, October 7 | Group A | India v Australia | Cape Town |
| Friday, October 8 | Group A | Pakistan v Afghanistan | Tshwane (Centurion) |
| Friday, October 8 | Group B | England v Bangladesh | Windhoek |
| Saturday, October 9 | Group A | Zimbabwe v Qualifier A | Bulawayo |
| Saturday, October 9 | Group B | South Africa v New Zealand | Cape Town |
| Sunday, October 10 | Group A | India v Pakistan | Johannesburg |
| Sunday, October 10 | Group B | Sri Lanka v Qualifier B | Windhoek |
| Monday, October 11 | Group A | Zimbabwe v Afghanistan | Bulawayo |
| Tuesday, October 12 | Group A | Australia v Qualifier A | Paarl |
| Tuesday, October 12 | Group B | New Zealand v Bangladesh | KuGompo City |
| Wednesday, October 13 | Group B | England v Sri Lanka | Windhoek |
| Wednesday, October 13 | Group B | South Africa v Qualifier B | Paarl |
| Thursday, October 14 | Group A | India v Afghanistan | Tshwane (Centurion) |
| Friday, October 15 | Group A | Pakistan v Qualifier A | Bloemfontein |
| Friday, October 15 | Group A | Zimbabwe v Australia | Harare |
| Saturday, October 16 | Group B | Sri Lanka v Bangladesh | Durban |
| Saturday, October 16 | Group B | South Africa v England | Gqeberha |
| Sunday, October 17 | Group A | India v Qualifier A | Bloemfontein |
| Sunday, October 17 | Group B | New Zealand v Qualifier B | Harare |
| Monday, October 18 | Group A | Australia v Afghanistan | KuGompo City |
| Tuesday, October 19 | Group A | Zimbabwe v Pakistan | Harare |
| Tuesday, October 19 | Group B | South Africa v Bangladesh | Durban |
| Wednesday, October 20 | Group B | New Zealand v Sri Lanka | Johannesburg |
| Wednesday, October 20 | Group B | England v Qualifier B | Harare |
| Thursday, October 21 | Group A | Afghanistan v Qualifier A | KuGompo City |
| Friday, October 22 | Group A | Australia v Pakistan | Paarl |
| Friday, October 22 | Group B | South Africa v Sri Lanka | Johannesburg |
| Saturday, October 23 | Group B | England v New Zealand | Gqeberha |
| Saturday, October 23 | Group B | Bangladesh v Qualifier B | Tshwane (Centurion) |
| Sunday, October 24 | Group A | Zimbabwe v India | Victoria Falls |
The ICC lists the Centurion matches under the city name Tshwane. Centurion lies within the City of Tshwane metropolitan municipality, so both names refer to the same ground.
Super 7 and knockout dates
The Super 7 runs for 21 consecutive days, from Monday, October 25, to Sunday, November 14, 2027, with one match per day. The knockout dates and venues are fixed:
- Semi-final 1: Wednesday, November 17, 2027, Cape Town
- Semi-final 2: Thursday, November 18, 2027, Tshwane (Centurion)
- Final: Sunday, November 21, 2027, Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, with Monday, November 22, in reserve
Two rest days separate the second semi-final from the final.
Cricket World Cup 2027 start times by time zone
South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia all use UTC+2 with no daylight saving time, so every Cricket World Cup 2027 match starts on the same clock (timeanddate.com).
The ICC had not published individual start times as of Wednesday, October 7, 2026. The table below gives the fixed offsets, so any start time the ICC lists can be converted for the main viewing markets.
| Viewer location | Offset from host time, Oct 2–30 | Offset from host time, Oct 31–Nov 6 | Offset from host time, Nov 7–21 |
|---|---|---|---|
| India, Sri Lanka | +3 h 30 min | +3 h 30 min | +3 h 30 min |
| Pakistan | +3 h | +3 h | +3 h |
| Bangladesh | +4 h | +4 h | +4 h |
| Afghanistan | +2 h 30 min | +2 h 30 min | +2 h 30 min |
| United Kingdom | −1 h | −2 h | −2 h |
| Sydney, Melbourne | +9 h (from Oct 3) | +9 h | +9 h |
| Auckland | +11 h | +11 h | +11 h |
| New York | −6 h | −6 h | −7 h |
Three daylight-saving changes during the tournament affect viewers outside Africa and Asia:
- Sunday, October 3, 2027: Sydney and Melbourne move to AEDT (UTC+11). On October 2, the offset is +8 hours.
- Sunday, October 31, 2027: the United Kingdom returns to GMT, during the Super 7.
- Sunday, November 7, 2027: the United States returns to standard time, so the semi-finals and final start one hour earlier on New York clocks than the group matches.
A 2:00 p.m. host-time start, for example, is 5:30 p.m. in India and 1:00 p.m. in London during October, and 12:00 p.m. in London from October 31. The same start falls at 11:00 p.m. in Sydney.
Where is the Cricket World Cup 2027 played?
The Cricket World Cup 2027 is played at 12 venues: eight in South Africa, three in Zimbabwe and one in Namibia. Namibia hosts World Cup matches for the first time (ICC; ANI). The table below lists each ground, its city, and its approximate capacity (Wikipedia).
| Ground | City | Country | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wanderers Stadium | Johannesburg | South Africa | 34,000 |
| Newlands | Cape Town | South Africa | 25,000 |
| Kingsmead | Durban | South Africa | 25,000 |
| SuperSport Park | Tshwane (Centurion) | South Africa | 22,000 |
| Mangaung Oval | Bloemfontein | South Africa | 20,000 |
| St George’s Park | Gqeberha | South Africa | 19,000 |
| Buffalo Park | KuGompo City (formerly East London) | South Africa | 16,000 |
| Boland Park | Paarl | South Africa | 10,000 |
| Queens Sports Club | Bulawayo | Zimbabwe | 12,500 |
| Harare Sports Club | Harare | Zimbabwe | 10,000 |
| Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium | Victoria Falls | Zimbabwe | 10,000 |
| Namibia Cricket Ground | Windhoek | Namibia | 7,000 |
Windhoek stages seven matches before the Super 7 begins, including all three Super Series matches and both of England’s first two group games. Victoria Falls closes the group stage with Zimbabwe v India on Sunday, October 24.
South Africa and Zimbabwe last shared a World Cup in 2003, when Kenya was the third co-host.
Cricket World Cup 2027 tickets
Cricket World Cup 2027 tickets are sold through a free-to-enter ballot that runs from Thursday, October 1, 2026, to 11:59 p.m. SAST on Saturday, November 21, 2026 (ICC media release). Prices start at about US$9.50 and range up to about US$30, depending on the match and currency.
The steps below describe how the ballot works:
- Register for free at tickets.cricketworldcup.com.
- Enter the ballot for each match you want, with one entry per person per match.
- If requests exceed supply for a match, tickets go to entrants chosen at random.
Applying early in the window gives no advantage, because the draw is random once the ballot closes.
Previous Cricket World Cup winners
Six nations have won the men’s Cricket World Cup across 13 editions. The table below lists each one and its title years (Wikipedia).
| Team | Titles | Winning years | In the 2027 field |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 6 | 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015, 2023 | Yes, Group A |
| India | 2 | 1983, 2011 | Yes, Group A |
| West Indies | 2 | 1975, 1979 | Only through the qualifier |
| Pakistan | 1 | 1992 | Yes, Group A |
| Sri Lanka | 1 | 1996 | Yes, Group B |
| England | 1 | 2019 | Yes, Group B |
Australia is the defending champion and won the last World Cup held in southern Africa, in 2003, with the final played at the Wanderers.
What the Cricket World Cup 2027 is not
The Cricket World Cup 2027 is the men’s 50-over one-day international championship run by the International Cricket Council.
It is not the T20 World Cup, and “ICC” in its name has nothing to do with the court, the code body, or the chamber of commerce that share the initials.
The table below separates them.
| Name | What it is | Format or field | Relation to the 2027 tournament |
|---|---|---|---|
| ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup | Men’s 50-over world championship | 50 overs per side | This tournament |
| ICC Men’s T20 World Cup | Men’s 20-over world championship | 20 overs per side | Separate tournament |
| ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup | Women’s 50-over world championship | 50 overs per side | Separate tournament |
| ICC Champions Trophy | Eight-team 50-over event | 50 overs per side | Separate, smaller event |
| International Criminal Court | Court in The Hague | International criminal law | Unrelated |
| International Code Council | US building-code body | Construction standards | Unrelated |
| International Chamber of Commerce | Business organization in Paris | Trade and arbitration | Unrelated |
The 2027 tournament also overlaps with the Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia, which runs from Friday, October 1, to Saturday, November 13, 2027. South Africa, England, Australia and New Zealand play in both.
The cricket final comes eight days after the rugby final. Earlier in the year, the AFC Asian Cup 2027 is played in Saudi Arabia from January 7 to February 5.
For supporters in India and Sri Lanka, the Super 7 stage runs through the festival season, so check the Diwali 2027 date against your team’s fixtures.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the defending Cricket World Cup champion?
Australia is the defending champion. It won the 2023 tournament in India, its sixth title after 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015. Australia plays in Group A in 2027 and opens its campaign against India at Newlands in Cape Town on Thursday, October 7, 2027, the first match of the group stage.
When is India vs Pakistan at the Cricket World Cup 2027?
India play Pakistan on Sunday, October 10, 2027, at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. It is a Group A match and the third day of the group stage. Both teams can meet again if they reach the Super 7, which starts with no points carried over from the group stage.
Is Namibia playing in the Cricket World Cup 2027?
Namibia is a co-host, but it has not qualified automatically because it is not an ICC full member. Namibia must earn one of the four places at the Cricket World Cup Qualifier, scheduled for February 22 to March 23, 2027. Windhoek hosts matches whether or not Namibia qualifies.
How many teams qualify for the Cricket World Cup 2027 semi-finals?
Four teams reach the semi-finals: the top four in the seven-team Super 7 table. The semi-finals are on Wednesday, November 17, 2027, in Cape Town and Thursday, November 18, 2027, in Tshwane, and both have a reserve day. Points from the group stage do not count toward the Super 7 table.
What happens if rain stops the Cricket World Cup 2027 final?
The final has a reserve day. If play on Sunday, November 21, 2027, cannot be completed in Johannesburg, the match continues on Monday, November 22, 2027. Both semi-finals also have reserve days. Group-stage and Super 7 matches have no reserve days.
When is the next Cricket World Cup after 2027?
The next men’s 50-over Cricket World Cup after 2027 is scheduled for 2031, following the tournament’s four-year cycle. The 2027 edition is the 14th since the first tournament in 1975. Shorter-format world events, such as the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, run on a separate cycle and are distinct competitions.
