By Tapiwa Chawagarira
Zimbabwe will begin their campaign at the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup on home soil, with the Chevrons drawn into a challenging Group A alongside defending champions Australia, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and one qualifier.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday officially unveiled the schedule for the 14-team tournament, which will be jointly hosted by Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia from October 2 to November 21, 2027.
Zimbabwe, who are direct qualifiers as co-hosts, will open their campaign against Qualifier A on October 9 at Bulawayo’s Queens Sports Club, before facing Afghanistan at the same venue two days later.
The Chevrons will then travel to Harare for a major encounter against defending champions Australia on October 15, followed by another heavyweight Group A clash against Pakistan on October 19.
Zimbabwe’s Group Stage campaign will conclude in spectacular fashion on October 24, when they face India at the new Mosi-oa-Tunya Stadium in Victoria Falls.
The India-Zimbabwe encounter will be the first Cricket World Cup match staged at the new Victoria Falls venue, adding further significance to Zimbabwe’s home tournament.
The 2027 tournament introduces a new three-stage format, designed by the ICC to increase the significance of matches throughout the competition.
The tournament starts with a three-team Super Series in Windhoek, Namibia, running from October 2 to 6. The three teams involved will be the second-, third-, and fourth-placed sides from the preceding World Cup Qualifier, with the winner earning the final place in the Group Stage.
The 12 teams in the Group Stage will then be divided into two groups of six. Each side will play every other team in their group once.
The top three teams from each group will qualify for the Super 7 stage, together with the better-performing fourth-placed team from the two groups.
The Super 7 will feature seven teams playing a complete round-robin competition, meaning each side will play six matches. Importantly, no points will be carried forward from the Group Stage, giving every qualifying team a fresh start when the Super 7 begins on October 25.
The ICC has also introduced pre-seeding for the Super 7 to give supporters greater certainty around potential fixtures and venues.
India have been designated A1, Australia A2, Pakistan A3, England AB4, New Zealand B1, South Africa B2, and Sri Lanka B3.
For example, the opening Super 7 fixture on October 25 is scheduled for Johannesburg, where the A2 team will face B3. If Australia and Sri Lanka qualify, that match would be Australia against Sri Lanka. Should a non-seeded team qualify while a pre-seeded team misses out, the qualifier will inherit the position of the displaced team.
The Super 7 phase will run until November 14, after which the top four teams will advance to the semi-finals.
The team finishing first will face the fourth-placed side, while the second-placed team will meet the third-placed team.
The semi-finals are scheduled for November 17 and 18, with Cape Town and Tshwane hosting the knockout matches, while the final will be played in Johannesburg on November 21, with November 22 reserved if required.
The 2027 World Cup will feature 57 matches across 12 venues in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia.
Zimbabwe will host matches in Harare, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls, while Namibia will stage matches in Windhoek and South Africa will provide eight venues.
The tournament will mark the return of the Men’s Cricket World Cup to Africa for the first time since the 2003 edition, which was also co-hosted by Zimbabwe and South Africa. Namibia will stage senior Men’s World Cup matches for the first time.
For Zimbabwe, the tournament represents an opportunity to showcase the country’s cricketing facilities and tourism destinations while giving local supporters the chance to watch some of the world’s leading cricket nations on home soil.
The Chevrons’ Group A schedule, particularly the matches against Australia, Pakistan, and India, is expected to generate considerable interest as Zimbabwe seeks to make an impact in a World Cup being staged partly on home territory.
