India will meet defending champions Australia and bitter rivals Pakistan in their first two matches at the 2027 Cricket World Cup, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Thursday.

The India-Australia match, a repeat of the 2023 final, will be in Cape Town on October 7 and the India-Pakistan clash will take place in Johannesburg three days later.

The tournament, hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, will start on October 2 and the final will be played on November 21.

The group match between India and Pakistan will be played at the Wanderers Stadium, the tournament’s biggest venue and tickets are almost certain to be in high demand.

Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and a qualifier will be the other teams in Group A.

Zimbabwe will play all of their group matches at home, with two matches in Bulawayo, two in Harare and the last fixture in the group against India at Victoria Falls.

South Africa will play their first match in Group B against New Zealand in Cape Town on October 9, a day after England play the opening match in the group against Bangladesh in Windhoek, Namibia.

England will meet two of their main rivals in the group in Gqeberha. They will play South Africa on October 16 and New Zealand on October 23.

Also in Group B will be Sri Lanka and a qualifier.

Star India batsman Virat Kohli, 37, said in a televised interview at the launch in Cape Town that it would be his last World Cup.

He said that the intensity of a World Cup was like nothing else in cricket.

“To maintain that intensity for 10 games takes a lot out of you in foreign conditions. It’s the last World Cup I am going to play for India and my motivation is to leave everything out there,” said Kohli.

Australian captain Pat Cummins said of the opening match: “Anytime you play India, you feel there are a billion people watching.

“It’s going to be great. I still get called up all the time about that 2023 final and they’ll be up for revenge.”

After a preliminary round to eliminate two of the three lowest-ranked teams, 12 teams will be split into two groups for round-robin matches before the top three in each group, and the best fourth-placed team, qualify for a Super Seven phase, followed by semi-finals and the final.

Because of political tensions between the two countries, India and Pakistan have only played each other in ICC events since Pakistan toured India for three one-day internationals and two Twenty20 internationals in December 2012.

The rivalry is intense despite India having won all eight matches against Pakistan in Cricket World Cups and eight out of nine in T20 World Cups.

Full Cricket World Cup Schedule

Super Series

Saturday, 2 October 2027 – QF1 v QF3 – Windhoek

Monday, 4 October 2027 – QF1 v QF2 – Windhoek

Wednesday, 6 October 2027 – QF2 v QF3 – Windhoek

Group Stage

Thursday, 7 October 2027 – India v Australia – Cape Town

Friday, 8 October 2027 – Pakistan v Afghanistan – Tshwane

Friday, 8 October 2027 – England v

Sunday, 10 October 2027 – Sri Lanka v Qualifier B – Windhoek

Monday, 11 October 2027 – Zimbabwe v Afghanistan – Bulawayo

Tuesday, 12 October 2027 – Australia v Qualifier A – Paarl

Tuesday, 12 October 2027 – New Zealand v Bangladesh – KuGompo City

Wednesday, 13 October 2027 – England v Sri Lanka – Windhoek

Wednesday, 13 October 2027 – South Africa v Qualifier B – Paarl

Thursday, 14 October 2027 – India v Afghanistan – Tshwane

Friday, 15 October 2027 – Pakistan v Qualifier A – Bloemfontein

Friday, 15 October 2027 – Zimbabwe v Australia – Harare

Saturday, 16 October 2027 – Sri Lanka v Bangladesh – Durban

Saturday, 16 October 2027 – South Africa v England – Gqeberha

Sunday, 17 October 2027 – India v Qualifier A – Bloemfontein

Sunday, 17 October 2027 – New Zealand v Qualifier B – Harare

Monday, 18 October 2027 – Australia v Afghanistan – KuGompo City

 Tuesday, 19 October 2027 – Zimbabwe v Pakistan – Harare

 Tuesday, 19 October 2027 – South Africa v Bangladesh – Durban

 Wednesday, 20 October 2027 – New Zealand v Sri Lanka – Johannesburg

 Wednesday, 20 October 2027 – England v Qualifier B – Harare

 Thursday, 21 October 2027 – Afghanistan v Qualifier A – KuGompo City

 Friday, 22 October 2027 – Australia v Pakistan – Paarl

 Friday, 22 October 2027 – South Africa v Sri Lanka – Johannesburg

 Saturday, 23 October 2027 – England v New Zealand – Gqeberha

 Saturday, 23 October 2027 – Bangladesh v Qualifier B – Tshwane

 Sunday, 24 October 2027 – Zimbabwe v India – Victoria Falls

Super 7 Stage (current seeded team in brackets)

 Monday, 25 October 2027 – A2 (Australia) v B3 (Sri Lanka)  – Johannesburg

 Tuesday, 26 October 2027 – B1 (New Zealand) v A3 (Pakistan) – Gqeberha

 Wednesday, 27 October 2027 – B2 (South Africa) v AB4 (England) – Tshwane

 Thursday, 28 October 2027 – A1 (India) v A2 (Australia) – Victoria Falls

 Friday, 29 October 2027 – B1 (New Zealand) v B3 (Sri Lanka) – KuGompo City

 Saturday, 30 October 2027 – A3 (Pakistan) v AB4 (England) – Victoria Falls

 Sunday, 31 October 2027 – B2 (South Africa) v A1 (India) – Johannesburg

 Monday, 1 November 2027 – A2 (Australia) v B1 (New Zealand) – Victoria Falls

 Tuesday, 2 November 2027 – B3 (Sri Lanka) v AB4 (England) – Cape Town

 Wednesday, 3 November 2027 – B2 (South Africa) v A3 (Pakistan) – Durban

 Thursday, 4 November 2027 – A1 (India)  v B1 (New Zealand) – Paarl

 Friday, 5 November 2027 – A2 (Australia) v AB4 (England) – Durban

 Saturday, 6 November 2027 – B2 (South Africa) v B3 (Sri Lanka) – Bloemfontein

 Sunday, 7 November 2027 – A1 (India) v A3 (Pakistan) – Cape Town

 Monday, 8 November 2027 – B1 (New Zealand) v AB4 (England) – Durban

 Tuesday, 9 November 2027 – B2 (South Africa) v A2 (Australia) – Gqeberha

 Wednesday, 10 November 2027 – A3 (Pakistan) v B3 (Sri Lanka) – Bloemfontein

 Thursday, 11 November 2027 – A1 (India) v AB4 (England) – Gqeberha

 Friday, 12 November 2027 – B2 (South Africa) v B1 (New Zealand) – Cape Town

 Saturday, 13 November 2027 – A2 (Australia) v A3 (Pakistan) – Bloemfontein

 Sunday, 14 November 2027 – A1 (India) v B3 (Sri Lanka) – Durban

Semi Finals

Wednesday, 17 November 2027 – Semi-Final 1 – Cape Town

Thursday, 18 November 2027 – Semi-Final 2 – Tshwane

Final 

Sunday, 21 November 2027 – Final – Johannesburg