Wanderers Set for 2027 ODI World Cup Final and India-Pakistan

The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg will host the 2027 men’s ODI World Cup final on November 21 and the tournament’s India-Pakistan group match on October 10. The South African ground, which also staged the 2003 World Cup final, was selected for the two major fixtures of a tournament running from October 2 to November 21.

Newlands in Cape Town will host the opening match of the main round, with India facing defending champions Australia on October 7 in a repeat of the 2023 final. The Cape Town venue will also stage one semi-final on November 17, while SuperSport Park in Tshwane, Centurion, will host the other knockout on November 18. Both semi-finals and the final will have reserve days.

Key venues and opening fixtures

The 2027 World Cup will be played across 12 venues in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Johannesburg’s Wanderers, South Africa’s biggest ground with a capacity of more than 30,000, received the final ahead of Newlands.

Before the 12-team main event, the Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek will host the Super Series, a three-team preliminary round that will determine the final entrant. Windhoek will also stage three group matches, including two involving England.

Zimbabwe will host five group-stage matches, with the co-hosts playing all five of their group fixtures at home. Zimbabwe begin against Afghanistan in Bulawayo on October 11. South Africa, placed in Group B, open their campaign against New Zealand at Newlands on October 9.

The newly built Mosi-oa-Tunya Stadium in Victoria Falls will host the final group-stage fixture, India against Zimbabwe on October 24, along with three Super 7 matches. Durban has five matches, including the final Super 7 fixture between India and Sri Lanka on November 14 under the pre-seeding structure.

The other host cities are Harare and Bulawayo in Zimbabwe; Windhoek in Namibia; and Cape Town, Paarl, Johannesburg, Tshwane, Bloemfontein, Durban, KuGompo City and Gqeberha in South Africa.

Groups, qualification and Super 7 format

Twelve teams will be split into two groups of six, although two places remain undecided. Group A contains Afghanistan, Australia, India, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and one qualifier. Group B includes Bangladesh, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the other qualifier.

The remaining qualifiers will emerge from a 10-team tournament scheduled for early next year. Its winner will advance directly to the World Cup group stage. The losing finalist and two losing semi-finalists will move into the Super Series, where one side will earn the last place in the 12-team event. A venue for the qualifying tournament has yet to be confirmed, though South Africa or Namibia are the possible hosts.

The top three teams in each group will progress to the Super 7 phase, joined by the better fourth-placed team across the two groups. Under the pre-seeding, India, Australia and Pakistan are designated A1, A2 and A3, while New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka are B1, B2 and B3, with England listed as AB4. If an unseeded side such as Bangladesh or Afghanistan advances, it takes the designation of the seeded team it replaces.

The schedule also leaves open the prospect of a second India-Pakistan meeting, in Cape Town on November 7, should the teams reach the relevant Super 7 positions. The tournament begins on October 2, a date chosen to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday, and concludes with the final at the Wanderers on November 21.