ODI World Cup schedule announced: Bangladesh to face England first

The ICC has announced the schedule for the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. The grand final and the much-anticipated India-Pakistan match will be played at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. Bangladesh will face England in its opening match.
The 2003 final was also held at the same venue. India and Pakistan will meet there on October 10 next year. The stadium, one of South Africa’s largest cricket grounds, can accommodate more than 30,000 spectators. The Wanderers was chosen over the iconic Newlands in Cape Town.
The main tournament will begin at Newlands. India will face defending champions Australia in the opening match on October 7, in a repeat of the 2023 final. Before that, the Super Series will be held in Windhoek, Namibia, where three teams will compete for one place in the main tournament.
A potential second India-Pakistan match in the Super 7 stage will be held in Cape Town on November 7.
The first semi-final will be held at Newlands on November 17. The second semi-final will take place at SuperSport Park in Centurion the following day.
The final will be held on November 21. A reserve day will be kept for the title-deciding match.
Ten of the 12 teams have already been confirmed. The remaining two will come from next year’s qualifiers.
Group A: Afghanistan, Australia, India, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and one qualifier.
Group B: Bangladesh, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and one qualifier.
The qualifier winner will advance directly to the group stage. The runner-up and the two semi-finalists will play in the Super Series.
Venue list
Matches will be held at 12 venues:
Namibia: Windhoek
Zimbabwe: Victoria Falls, Harare and Bulawayo
South Africa: Cape Town, Paarl, Johannesburg, Centurion, Bloemfontein, Durban, Qonce (East London) and Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth).