2027 Cricket World Cup: Everything You Need To Know

The countdown to the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is officially on.

One year out from the tournament, the ICC has revealed the full schedule for cricket’s biggest 50-over event, which returns to African soil for the first time since 2003.

South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia will jointly stage the tournament from 2 October to 21 November 2027, with 14 teams competing across 57 matches at 12 venues.

ALSO READ: Kagiso Rabada vs Australia: A Test Cricket Love Affair.

And this won’t simply be a bigger version of the 2023 World Cup.

The ICC has introduced a completely new format featuring a preliminary Super Series, two six-team groups and a Super 7 stage before the semi-finals.

From the dates and venues to South Africa’s schedule, qualification and how the new format works, here’s everything you need to know about the 2027 Cricket World Cup.

The #CWC27 groups are locked ⚡🔐

A cricketing extravaganza awaits! How to watch the schedule launch ➡️ https://t.co/Eod5GoN7zW pic.twitter.com/oVg7zVHLNF

— ICC (@ICC) October 1, 2026

When Is The 2027 Cricket World Cup?

The tournament officially gets underway on Saturday, 2 October 2027, when the first game of a three-team Super Series takes place in Windhoek, Namibia.

That preliminary stage runs until 6 October before the main group stage begins with a blockbuster.

Defending champions Australia face India at Newlands in Cape Town on Thursday, 7 October, in a rematch of the 2023 World Cup final.

The tournament then runs for seven weeks, culminating in the final at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Sunday, 21 November.

Key Dates

• 2 October: World Cup begins with the Super Series
• 6 October: Super Series concludes
• 7 October: Main group stage begins – India vs Australia
• 9 October: South Africa play their opening game against New Zealand
• 10 October: India vs Pakistan in Johannesburg
• 24 October: Group stage concludes
• 25 October: Super 7 begins
• 14 November: Super 7 concludes
• 17 November: First semi-final – Cape Town
• 18 November: Second semi-final – Pretoria
• 21 November: World Cup final – Johannesburg
• 22 November: Reserve day for the final

The two semi-finals also have reserve days.

Where Will The World Cup Be Played?

The tournament will be spread across 12 venues in three countries.

South Africa will stage the majority of the matches, with eight host cities.

South Africa

• Wanderers Stadium – Johannesburg
• Centurion – Pretoria
• Newlands – Cape Town
• Kingsmead – Durban
• St George’s Park – Gqeberha
• Mangaung Oval – Bloemfontein
• Boland Park – Paarl
• Buffalo Park – KuGompo City

Zimbabwe

• Harare Sports Club – Harare
• Queens Sports Club – Bulawayo
• Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium – Victoria Falls

Namibia

• Namibia Cricket Ground – Windhoek

The tournament represents a particularly significant moment for Namibia, who will host matches at a senior ICC World Cup for the first time.

Zimbabwe and South Africa, meanwhile, were both involved when the ODI World Cup was last staged in Africa in 2003, alongside Kenya.

How Many Teams Will Play?

Fourteen teams will compete at the World Cup.

That’s an increase from the 10-team tournaments used in 2019 and 2023.

However, all 14 teams won’t immediately enter the same stage of the competition.

That’s where things become interesting.

The New 2027 Cricket World Cup Format Explained

The ICC approved a new format in July designed to make more matches consequential while still accommodating 14 nations.

There are essentially three stages before the semi-finals.

Stage One: Super Series

Before the main group stage begins, three teams will compete in a mini round-robin tournament in Windhoek.

These will be the teams finishing second, third and fourth at the Cricket World Cup Qualifier.

Each team plays the other two once.

Only the team finishing top progresses to the main group stage.

That means two of the 14 World Cup participants will actually be eliminated before the traditional group stage begins.

Stage Two: Group Stage

The remaining 12 teams are divided into two groups of six.

Each team plays the other five sides in its group once, producing 30 group-stage matches.

The top three teams in each group automatically qualify for the next round.

But there’s an additional place available.

The better fourth-placed team across the two groups also advances, creating the seven-team field for the next stage.

Stage Three: Super 7

This is one of the biggest changes.

Seven teams advance to the Super 7, where every side plays the other six once.

Crucially, points from the group stage do not carry over.

Everyone starts again from zero.

That creates 21 Super 7 matches, after which the top four teams advance to the semi-finals.

First plays fourth and second faces third.

The winners meet in Johannesburg for the World Cup trophy.

How Many Matches Will There Be?

There will be 57 matches in total.

That compares with 48 at the 2023 World Cup.

The breakdown is:

• Super Series – 3 matches
• Group Stage – 30 matches
• Super 7 – 21 matches
• Semi-finals – 2 matches
• Final – 1 match

Total: 57 matches.

Which Teams Have Already Qualified?

Ten countries have secured direct entry into the main group stage.

Hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe qualified automatically, while another eight countries earned direct qualification through the ICC ODI rankings at the 30 September 2026 cut-off.

The groups announced by the ICC reveal the 10 direct qualifiers as:

Group A

• India
• Australia
• Pakistan
• Afghanistan
• Zimbabwe
• Qualifier A

Group B

• New Zealand
• South Africa
• Sri Lanka
• England
• Bangladesh
• Qualifier B

The remaining four places at the 14-team tournament will come through the 2027 Cricket World Cup Qualifier.

The winner of that tournament goes directly into the main group stage.

The teams finishing second, third and fourth qualify for the World Cup but must compete in the three-team Super Series for the final available group-stage position.

Why Isn’t Namibia Automatically Qualified?

This is one of the quirks of the tournament. Although Namibia are co-hosts, they haven’t received automatic qualification.

Only the two Full Member hosts, South Africa and Zimbabwe, were granted automatic places.

Namibia therefore have to qualify through the established qualification pathway despite staging World Cup matches.

If they qualify, they’ll have the opportunity to play a senior Cricket World Cup on home soil for the first time.

Who Are The Defending Champions?

Australia.

The Aussies won their record-extending sixth ODI World Cup title in 2023, beating hosts India in the final in Ahmedabad.

Fittingly, the two teams will meet again in the first match of the 2027 main group stage at Newlands on 7 October.

It gives the World Cup an enormous opening fixture before South Africa begin their campaign two days later.

When Do The Proteas Start Their World Cup?

South Africa begin their campaign against New Zealand at Newlands on Saturday, 9 October.

It promises to be a huge occasion.

THE ROAD TO #CWC27 STARTS HERE! 🌍🏏#TheProteas’ ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 group-stage fixtures are locked in!

A World Cup on home soil. A World Cup co-hosted with Namibia & Zimbabwe and a chance to create unforgettable memories in front of our home fans.

Access the… pic.twitter.com/gqakcsVacP

— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) October 2, 2026

The Proteas will be playing a home ODI World Cup match for the first time since 2003, and they’ll start against a nation with whom South Africa have shared several memorable World Cup battles.

South Africa’s confirmed group-stage schedule is:

• 9 October: South Africa vs New Zealand – Cape Town
• 13 October: South Africa vs Qualifier B – Paarl
• 16 October: South Africa vs England – Gqeberha
• 19 October: South Africa vs Bangladesh – Durban
• 22 October: South Africa vs Sri Lanka – Johannesburg

That means the Proteas will play all five of their group games in South Africa.