India and Pakistan could meet three times at 2027 ODI World Cup, first clash on October 10

The full schedule of the ICC ODI World Cup 2027 is out. The main tournament has 12 teams, who have been split into two groups, A and B, as usual.

India are in Group A, while their arch-rivals Pakistan are in Group B. Group B also has defending champions Australia, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and one qualifier team.

Led by Shubman Gill, India will begin their campaign on October 7, with their first match against Australia. The biggest match for fans, between India and Pakistan, will be played on October 10.

The format has been designed so that cricket fans could see high-voltage drama between the two arch-rivals three times. The first match will be on October 10. If both teams keep playing well and winning, they could meet twice more in the knockout matches.

After the group stage, the top three teams from each group will go straight into the Super 7. The better performer among the fourth-placed teams of the two groups will take the seventh spot.

Points from earlier matches will not be carried forward into the Super 7 stage. All seven teams will play each other on a round-robin basis. This phase will run from October 25 to November 14, with each team playing six matches. For this reason, a second India-Pakistan match is considered almost certain.

After the Super 7, the top four teams on the points table will qualify for the knockouts, that is, the semi-finals. If both India and Pakistan reach the top four, they could face each other for a third time on November 21, in the semi-final or the final.

India's dream of winning the World Cup was broken in 2023. India's players will therefore take the field this time with great ambition. Last time there were 10 teams, and Australia beat India by 6 wickets in the final in Ahmedabad, shattering everyone's dream.

Pakistan, for their part, won 4 of their 9 matches and lost 5 last time, finishing fifth. Fans are now eagerly waiting for next year.