ICC to release full 2027 ODI World Cup schedule in Cape Town tonight
The International Cricket Council will unveil the complete fixtures at a ceremony in Cape Town at 8:30 pm IST, with ticket sales to begin immediately after.
The world is ready for the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2027, cricket's biggest festival. Indian fans are also waiting eagerly for the moment, as the defeat in the last World Cup still stings. The International Cricket Council (ICC) will release the full schedule of the tournament on Thursday, October 1, at a grand ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa.
The one-year countdown to the start of the tournament has also begun today. For fans, ticket sales for the matches will begin as soon as the schedule is released. The World Cup will begin on October 2 next year and run until November 21, 2027.
By the September 30 deadline, 10 of the 14 teams had secured their places in the main round. South Africa and Zimbabwe got direct entry as hosts. Namibia is also a co-host, but it is not a full member of the ICC and so did not qualify directly. On the basis of the ICC ODI rankings, India, Australia, England, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have qualified. Two-time former champions West Indies will have to go through a qualifier early next year, which will decide the remaining four teams.
The 2027 World Cup will be played in a new and exciting format, with three separate stages before the semi-finals. In the first stage, the three lowest-ranked teams will play each other in a round-robin Super Series, and the winner will advance to the next round. In the second round, 12 teams will be divided into two groups of six, and 30 matches will be played in all. The top three teams from each group, along with the next best team across the tournament, will move to the Super 7 stage.
The Super 7 round will have 21 matches in all, with every team playing the others. Only the top four teams on the points table in this stage will qualify for the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, the team placed first on the table will play the fourth-placed team, while the second and third-placed teams will meet each other. The final will be played between the winners of the two semi-finals on November 21, 2027.
The biggest question on fans' minds is when and at which stadium India's matches will be played. The ICC's schedule announcement ceremony will begin tonight at 8:30 pm Indian time. Fans in India can watch it live on the Star Sports Network on television and on JioHotstar on digital platforms.
