CAPE TOWN, South Africa: Cricket’s biggest rivalry is set for another chapter as Pakistan and India have been drawn in the same group for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, with defending champions Australia also joining them in Group A for the tournament to be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
🚨 ICC MEN’S CRICKET WORLD CUP 2027 – GROUPS 🚨
Group A: 🇦🇫 Afghanistan | 🇦🇺 Australia | 🇮🇳 India | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | Qualifier A
Group B: 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | 🏴 England | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | Qualifier B
The road to the 2027 World Cup is… pic.twitter.com/yI4icGxi1H
— Mian Ahmad (@MianAhmad_56) October 1, 2026
The ICC unveiled the groups on Thursday at a star-studded event in Cape Town marking the one-year countdown to the 2027 World Cup, which will introduce a new three-stage format designed to make every match more significant.
Pakistan, India and Australia headline Group A
Group A will feature Pakistan, India, Australia, Afghanistan, co-hosts Zimbabwe and Qualifier A, with the latter earning its place through the tournament’s opening Super Series.
Group B comprises Bangladesh, England, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, co-hosts South Africa and Qualifier B.
The 14-team tournament will run from October 2 to November 21, 2027, although the ICC has yet to announce the complete match schedule.
🚨 GROUPS FOR THE 2027 CRICKET WORLD CUP ARE HERE! 🏆🔥
🅰️ GROUP A
🇦🇫 Afghanistan, 🇦🇺 Australia, 🇮🇳 India, 🇵🇰 Pakistan
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe, 🏳️ Qualifier A🅱️ GROUP B
🇧🇩 Bangladesh, 🏴 England, 🇿🇦 South Africa, 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka, 🇳🇿 New Zealand, 🏳️ Qualifier B#WorldCup2027… pic.twitter.com/8XQJxQgqUM— CricInformer (@CricInformer) October 1, 2026
New three-stage format introduced
The 2027 World Cup will follow a revised three-stage structure before the semi-finals and final, with greater importance attached to results from the opening stages.
The first round will involve Teams 12, 13 and 14 competing in a round-robin Super Series, with only the top-ranked team advancing to the next stage.
The second round will then feature two groups of six teams each. The top three teams from each group will qualify for the Super Seven stage, joined by the highest-ranked remaining team across the two groups.
Mark the 📅 10 OCT 2027 . PAK India big clash in ODI World Cup. Mega event will kick off from 02 Oct to 21 November#ODIWorldcup pic.twitter.com/r3g0ZZT8wA
— Shakeel Khan Khattak (@ShakeelktkKhan) October 1, 2026
Super seven to decide semi-finalists
The Super Seven stage will determine the four teams that progress to the semi-finals.
The top four sides from the Super Seven will advance to the knockout stage, with the two semi-final winners meeting in the World Cup final.
The revised format is intended to increase the significance of results throughout the competition and create more competitive contests for teams and spectators.
Read Also: Pakistan-India Likely to Share Group in 2027 Cricket World Cup
World Cup returns to southern africa
South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia will jointly host the 2027 edition, bringing the men’s World Cup back to the African continent.
For Pakistan and India, their Group A reunion adds another major chapter to one of cricket’s most closely followed rivalries, while Australia’s presence gives the group an additional heavyweight contender.
