Cricket World Cup 2027: Pakistan, India set for group-stage clash

Pakistan and India will face each other in the 2027 Cricket World Cup on October 10 at Johannesburg’s Wanderers Stadium, with the ICC confirming the schedule on Thursday.

The match will come three days after India’s opening game against defending champions Australia in Cape Town on October 7. The tournament itself will begin on October 4 and conclude with the final on November 27.

South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia will jointly host the 2027 edition.

The Wanderers, the tournament’s largest ground, will stage the India-Pakistan group match. Their fixture is expected to draw strong interest given the limited opportunities for the two sides to meet.

The tournament will first have a preliminary stage, with two of the three lowest-ranked teams eliminated. The remaining 12 teams will then be divided into two groups and play round-robin matches.

Seven teams will progress from the group stage to the next phase — the top three from each group and the best fourth-placed side. The competition will then move to the semi-finals and final.

India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series since Pakistan’s 2012 tour of India. Their matches since then have taken place only in ICC competitions.

India have won all eight of their previous World Cup clashes with Pakistan, while their record in T20 World Cups stands at eight wins from nine matches.

Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and one team from the qualifying stage will also be part of Group A.