Published: October 3, 2026 at 1:32 pm
The International Cricket Council (ICC) unveiled the schedule for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 at a spectacular ceremony in Cape Town, officially setting the countdown in motion to the world’s biggest ODI cricket event as the ticket ballot opened to fans across the globe.
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in October and November 2027. The 14th edition of the tournament will feature 14 teams and 57 matches across 12 venues. It marks the return of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup to Africa for the first time since 2003 and Namibia’s first-time hosting matches at the senior tournament.
Under the banner of “Three Nations, One Heartbeat”, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia will come together to host a World Cup that will unite fans across the region and around the world through a shared passion for cricket.
Held at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA), the ceremony marked the official one-year countdown to the tournament and brought together representatives of the ICC, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and the three host nations. The 14-team tournament will feature 57 matches across 12 venues in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia from 2 October to 21 November 2027.
The tournament will burst into life with a blockbuster opening weekend, headlined by a heavyweight clash between defending champions Australia and 2023 finalists India on October 7, 2027. The two cricketing powerhouses will open the tournament matches at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town, with the highly anticipated encounter.
World Cup fever will then sweep across the three host nations. On October 8, Afghanistan will take on Pakistan in Centurion, while England face Bangladesh in Windhoek.
Co-hosts Zimbabwe will mark their return to the men’s cricket World Cup after a 12-year absence when they take on Qualifier-A at Queen’s Sports Club in Bulawayo on October 9. In Cape Town, South Africa will begin their World Cup campaign against New Zealand at Newlands.
The opening weekend will reach a crescendo on October 10, when traditional rivals India and Pakistan renew their iconic competitiveness at Wanderers Stadium. In Windhoek, Sri Lanka will also begin their World Cup campaign against Qualifier-B, bringing the opening weekend to a thrilling close.
Zimbabwe will break new ground at the Mosi-oa-Tunya Stadium at the iconic Victoria Falls when they host India in Match 33.
The semifinals will take place in Cape Town and Centurion on November 17 and 18 respectively, before Johannesburg’s iconic cityscape provides the backdrop for the November 21 final, bringing the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 to a spectacular close in the City of Gold.
Global cricket fans invited to enter ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 ticket ballot
“The announcement of the schedule and opening of the ticket ballot are major milestones on the road to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, bringing fans one step closer to a spectacular celebration of cricket across the three nations,” said Jay Shah, ICC chairman.
“The ICC remains committed to making its World Cup events accessible to as many fans as possible, with affordable ticket prices and options that bring families, young people and local communities closer to the action.
“South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia will provide an unforgettable stage for the world’s best teams, combining a deep passion for cricket, extraordinary destinations and a renowned warmth of welcome. We look forward to welcoming fans from across the world and creating memories that will last long beyond the final,” Shah added.
The World Cup will be staged across eight venues in South Africa, three in Zimbabwe and one in Namibia, bringing the competition to Johannesburg, Tshwane (formerly Pretoria), Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), Bloemfontein, Paarl and KuGompo City (formerly East London) in South Africa; Harare, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe; and Windhoek in Namibia.
The tournament will kick off with a Super Series hosted in Namibia, featuring the three lowest ranked of the 14 qualified teams. These teams will compete in a round robin format, with the team finishing top of the standings progressing to the Group Stage.
Following this, 12 teams (including a direct entrant from a preceding World Cup Qualifier tournament) will be divided in two groups: India, Australia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Qualifier A in Group A and New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, England, Bangladesh and Qualifier B in Group B.
The first few matches between top-ranked teams will be a showdown between last time’s finalists India (A1) and Australia (A2) in Cape Town on October 7, and a faceoff between New Zealand (B1) and South Africa (B2) in Tshwane on October 8. India face Pakistan (A3) in Johannesburg on October 10.
This will be followed by a Super Sevens tournament to determine the semifinalists. Cape Town (November 17) and Tshwane (November 18) will be the host cities for the semifinals while the final will be played in Johannesburg on November 21.
Trevor Manuel, independent chairperson of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 LOC Board, said: “South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia are ready to welcome the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and supporters from around the world back to our continent. Southern Africa has a proud tradition of hosting major global sporting events, and we approach 2027 with the same confidence, ambition and determination to deliver a tournament worthy of the occasion.
“While the cricket will rightly take centre stage, this World Cup is also an opportunity to showcase the people, places and spirit that make Southern Africa so remarkable. We hope supporters will arrive in their multitudes for the cricket and leave with lasting memories of the warmth, energy, diversity and extraordinary welcome of our region.”
Adding to the excitement ahead of the tournament, the ICC has opened the ticket ballot, giving fans around the world the chance to register now for an opportunity to secure their place at what promises to be a memorable celebration of cricket.
Qualification background
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 (CWC27) qualification cutoff date is September 30, 2026. Ten (10) teams secured direct qualification as of September 30, including full member hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe. The 10 direct qualifiers secured a berth directly into round two (group stage) of the tournament.
The remaining four qualification positions will be determined through the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2027 (MCWCCQ27).
The tournament will kick off with a Super Series hosted in Namibia, featuring the three lowest ranked of the 14 qualified teams. Pics: ICC
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2027 will determine the final four teams that will participate in the main event:
The winner of the Qualifier will secure a direct berth into Round two (Group Stage) of the tournament
The runners up, third placed team and fourth placed team in the Qualifier, will qualify for the World Cup entering into Round 1 (Super Series).
Format
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 consists of three competition rounds prior to the semifinals and final.
Round 1: Super Series (three matches)
The competition will begin with a Super Series featuring the three lowest ranked of the 14 qualified teams (the runner up, third placed team and fourth placed team from the Qualifier). The teams will compete in a round robin format, with the team finishing top of the standings progressing to the Group Stage.
Round 2: Group Stage (30 matches)
Twelve teams will compete in the Group Stage (10 Direct Qualifiers, the winner of the Qualifier plus the team progressing from the Super Series), divided into two groups of six. Each group will play a round robin format, with every team facing the other teams in its group once. The top three teams from each group, together with the highest ranked fourth placed team across both groups, will advance to the Super 7.
Round 3: Super 7 (21 matches)
The Super 7 is played as a complete single round robin, with each of the seven qualifying teams facing every other team once, resulting in a total of 21 matches. To provide greater certainty for fans, teams and stakeholders, a number of teams have been pre-seeded into designated Super 7 positions. This allows fans to better understand potential venue allocations and fixture pathways in advance, helping them plan travel, attendance and ticket purchases with greater confidence. The pre seeded allocations are listed below:
A1: India
A2: Australia
A3: Pakistan
AB4: England
B1: New Zealand
B2: South Africa
B3: Sri Lanka
Should a non-seeded team finish in a qualifying position above a pre-seeded team, that team will assume the Super 7 position allocated to the pre seeded team it has displaced.
At the conclusion of the Super 7 stage, the top four teams in the standings will advance to the semifinals.
Semifinals
The team finishing first in the Super 7 standings will face the fourth placed team in the semifinals, while the second placed team will meet the third placed team.
Final
The winners of the two semifinals will compete in the final to determine the CWC27 Winners.
