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ICC Sets 2027 World Cup Schedule With Super 7 Format and 12 Venues
The 14-team tournament in Africa modifies the qualification process and locks venue pathways for ticket buyers a year in advance.
Navi Mumbai | editorial@unboxdailyhq.com
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The Takeaway
- The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 will run from October 2 to November 21, 2027, across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
- The 14-team tournament will feature 57 matches across 12 venues.
- The top three teams from each group, along with the better fourth-placed team, will advance to the Super 7 phase. Points from the group stage will not carry forward.
- In India, the tournament will be available through JioHotstar and Star Sports channels, according to the ICC’s broadcast information.
- The ticket ballot opened on October 1, 2026, with entry-level tickets listed from USD $9.62 (R158) and the highest-tier matches at USD $31.31 (R514).
The International Cricket Council has announced the complete schedule for the 2027 Men’s Cricket World Cup, setting out a 50-day tournament across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
The tournament begins on October 2, 2027,with a three-team Super Series in Windhoek, Namibia. The main Group Stage begins on October 7, while the final is scheduled for November 21 in Johannesburg.
The expanded 14-team tournament will feature 57 matches across 12 venues in Three host nations. Eight venues are in South Africa, three in Zimbabwe and one in Namibia.
A Three-Stage Tournament
The 2027 World Cup introduces a three-stage competition format before the semi-finals and final.
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The tournament opens with a Super Series involving three teams—the runners-up, third-placed team and fourth-placed team from the 2027 World Cup Qualifier. They will play a single round-robin competition in Windhoek, with the top team progressing to the main Group Stage.
The remaining 12 teams will then be divided into two groups of six.
Group A: India, Australia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Qualifier A.
Group B: New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, England, Bangladesh and Qualifier B.
Each team will play the other teams in its group once. The top three teams from each group, plus the better fourth-placed team across the two groups, will qualify for the Super 7.
Super 7 Changes the Qualification Race
The Super 7 phase will feature seven teams playing a single round-robin, producing 21 matches. Each team will play six matches.
One of the most important changes is that points do not carry over from the Group Stage. Every team starts the Super 7 phase with a clean slate.
The ICC has also introduced pre-seeding to give fans and stakeholders greater certainty about potential fixtures and venue allocations.
The current Super 7 positions are:
| Super 7 Position | Pre-seeded Team |
| A1 | India |
| A2 | Australia |
| A3 | Pakistan |
| AB4 | England |
| B1 | New Zealand |
| B2 | South Africa |
| B3 | Sri Lanka |
If a non-seeded team qualifies while a pre-seeded team fails to advance, the qualifying team takes the Super 7 position assigned to the displaced team.
For example, the ICC says that if Bangladesh qualifies for the Super 7 while Sri Lanka does not, Bangladesh would assume Sri Lanka’s B3 position.
The system is therefore designed to provide fixture certainty without changing the qualification process itself.
India’s World Cup Fixtures
India are in Group A alongside Australia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Qualifier A. Their confirmed Group Stage fixtures are:
| Date | Opponent | Venue |
| October 7, 2027 | Australia | Cape Town |
| October 10, 2027 | Pakistan | Johannesburg |
| October 14, 2027 | Afghanistan | Tshwane |
| October 17, 2027 | Qualifier A | Bloemfontein |
| October 24, 2027 | Zimbabwe | Victoria Falls |
The India-Australia match will open the main Group Stage in Cape Town, while the India-Pakistan fixture is scheduled for October 10 at Johannesburg’s Wanderers Stadium. India’s final Group Stage match will be against Zimbabwe at the Mosi-oa-Tunya Stadium in Victoria Falls.
12 Venues Across Three Countries
The tournament will be spread across 12 venues.
South Africa: Cape Town, Paarl, Johannesburg, Tshwane, Bloemfontein, Durban, Gqeberha and KuGompo City.
Zimbabwe: Harare, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls.
Namibia: Windhoek.
Windhoek will host the three Super Series matches as well as three Group Stage matches. Victoria Falls will host its first World Cup match when Zimbabwe face India on October 24.
Semi-Finals and Final
The top four teams from the Super 7 standings will progress to the semi-finals.
The first semi-final is scheduled for November 17 in Cape Town, while the second will take place on November 18 in Tshwane. Both semi-finals have reserve days.
The final will be played at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on November 21, with November 22 designated as the reserve day.
World Cup Tickets: Ballot Opens
The ICC opened its global ticket ballot on October 1, 2026.
The ballot is free to enter and is not first-come, first-served. Fans can submit one ballot entry per person, per match, and can register for multiple matches.
Where demand exceeds available tickets, successful applicants will be selected through a randomised ballot process. Entering the ballot does not guarantee tickets.
The ballot remains open until 23:59 SAST on November 21, 2026.
The ICC lists ticket prices from USD $9.62 (R158) for entry-level tickets to USD $31.31 (R514) for the highest-tier matches. Prices can vary with currency exchange rates. Family bundles, student and pensioner pricing, early-bird local allocations and community-group pricing are also planned.
How Indian Fans Can Watch
The ICC’s broadcast information lists JioStar as the India broadcast partner for the tournament, with coverage through JioHotstar and Star Sports channels.
This gives Indian viewers both streaming and television options for following the tournament.
The Unboxed Truth
The 2027 World Cup introduces a format designed to combine a broader 14-team field with greater certainty around the later stages.
The Super 7 is the key change: seven teams will start that phase without carrying over their Group Stage points, meaning performances in the second phase will determine the semi-final standings. At the same time, pre-seeded positions provide a clearer framework for potential fixtures and venue planning.
For travelling fans, the early publication of the full fixture and venue schedule provides useful information for planning flights, accommodation and match-day travel. However, the actual Super 7 match-ups involving teams other than the pre-seeded sides will depend on which teams qualify.
Best for: Cricket fans planning international travel around the 2027 World Cup, particularly those interested in following India across its Group Stage and potential Super 7 matches.
Who Is This For: Cricket followers, travelling supporters and viewers planning their 2027 World Cup schedule.
Courtesy: International Cricket Council
What is the global ticket price for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027?
ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 ticket prices range from USD $9.62 (R158) for entry-level tickets to USD $31.31 (R514) for the highest-tier matches, according to the ICC. These rand figures are South African prices and should not be presented as Indian rupee prices. The global ticket ballot opened on October 1, 2026, and remains open until November 21, 2026. Tickets are allocated through a ballot rather than on a first-come, first-served basis when demand exceeds availability.
What makes the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 different within its category?
The 2027 World Cup introduces a Super 7 phase with pre-seeded positions. The top three teams from each Group Stage pool, plus the better fourth-placed team, advance to the Super 7. Teams start this phase with zero points carried over from the Group Stage.
The ICC has pre-assigned positions such as A1 for India and A2 for Australia, allowing the corresponding fixtures and venues to be mapped ahead of qualification. If an unseeded team qualifies in place of a pre-seeded team, it takes the relevant seeded position and its associated schedule.
Is the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 worth attending?
The tournament may appeal particularly to travelling cricket supporters who want to plan around confirmed Group Stage fixtures and venues. India’s Group Stage schedule, for example, includes matches in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Tshwane, Bloemfontein and Victoria Falls.
The Super 7 format also provides a degree of advance scheduling through pre-seeded positions, but the exact teams involved will depend on qualification. Fans should therefore distinguish between the confirmed Group Stage schedule and the conditional Super 7 fixtures when planning international travel.
