The ICC has revealed the 2027 men's ODI World Cup schedule, and Johannesburg's Wanderers will host both the final and the India vs Pakistan group clash on October 10. The tournament opens at Newlands on October 7 with India against defending champions Australia.
The biggest fixture list in world cricket is out, and the Wanderers is the biggest winner of all. The ICC announced the 2027 men's ODI World Cup schedule in Cape Town on Thursday, handing Johannesburg's famous ground the final, the India vs Pakistan group game on October 10, and a place in history as the second South African venue to host two World Cup finals, after 2003.
Firdose Moonda, reporting for ESPNcricinfo, confirmed the venue decisions as the schedule dropped: the Wanderers is South Africa's biggest ground with a capacity over 30,000, and it will stage the tournament's two most-watched fixtures, the final and the Indo-Pak clash, under one roof.
| Key fixture | Details |
|---|---|
| Final | Wanderers, Johannesburg, 21 November 2027 |
| India vs Pakistan | Wanderers, Johannesburg, 10 October 2027 |
| Main-round opener | Newlands, Cape Town, 7 October 2027, India vs Australia |
| Semi-final 1 | Newlands, 17 November 2027 |
| Semi-final 2 | SuperSport Park, 18 November 2027 |
| South Africa's opener | Newlands, 9 October 2027, vs New Zealand |
Why the Wanderers won everything
The choice is no accident. The Wanderers hosted the 2003 final, it is the largest ground in the country, and it sits in the city with the infrastructure to swallow a 14-team event. Newlands gets the opener and a semi-final, which is generous given ESPNcricinfo's note that it was less preferred despite its iconic mountain backdrop, but the ICC was never going to put the final anywhere else.
The tournament shape
The World Cup runs from October 2 to November 21, 2027, across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, with October 2 chosen to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's birthday. Group A lines up Afghanistan, Australia, India, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and one qualifier; Group B has Bangladesh, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the other qualifier. Zimbabwe get five group games at home, including Afghanistan in Bulawayo on October 11, while Namibia's national ground in Windhoek hosts the three-team Super Series preliminary round. The 10-team qualifier for the last four spots will be played early in 2027, most likely in South Africa or Namibia.
Mark October 10 now: India vs Pakistan at the Wanderers, the one fixture that stops the cricketing world, landed at the one ground big enough to hold the occasion.
Pick your own trophy run
Squad announcements and fixture lists are where World Cups are won and lost, and the debates start long before October 2027. In BuildXI you spin eleven real IPL squads from 2008 to 2025, take one player from each, and play a full season with the side you end up with. The target is 14-0: fourteen league games, fourteen wins.