The International Cricket Council (ICC) is working towards launching the 2027 ODI World Cup on October 2, 2027 — coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. While there has been no formal communication on the start date yet, Cricbuzz understands that the global body intends to mark the tournament's commencement by honouring a leader who championed peace and non-violence and had deep ties with South Africa, one of the co-hosts.

Gandhi, the architect of India's freedom movement and hailed as the Father of the Nation in India, spent 21 years in South Africa. The ICC's move to align the World Cup's opening with his birth anniversary is seen as a fitting tribute, especially at a time when the world order is increasingly polarised.

Revised schedule and timeline

Initially, the ICC had planned to begin the tournament on October 8 (Friday), with warm-up matches scheduled in the first week of October — from October 1 to 7 — as Cricbuzz had previously reported. However, those plans appear to have changed. The revised schedule now sees the championship proper likely to kick off on October 2, with warm-up matches squeezed in before that date.

The final is expected to remain on November 21 (Sunday), meaning the 14-team World Cup will run for approximately 50 days.

Twelve venues across three nations

The ICC recently announced 12 venues across South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia as host cities at a spectacular ceremony in Johannesburg. Eight cities in South Africa, three in Zimbabwe, and Namibia's capital Windhoek were unveiled.

The identified venues are:

• South Africa: Wanderers Stadium (Johannesburg), Centurion (Tshwane), Newlands Cricket Ground (Cape Town), Kingsmead Cricket Ground (Durban), St George's Park (Gqeberha), Mangaung Oval (Bloemfontein), Boland Park (Paarl), and Buffalo Park (KuGompo City, formerly East London).
• Zimbabwe: Harare Sports Club (Harare), Queens Sports Club (Bulawayo), and Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium (Victoria Falls).
• Namibia: Namibia Cricket Ground (Windhoek).

New tournament format

The World Cup will feature a changed format. The three lowest-ranked sides will compete in a mini-league, branded as the Super Series. The winner of the Super Series will then join the remaining 11 teams to form a 12-team field, which will be divided into two groups. Teams will play each other within their respective groups, followed by a Super Seven stage, the semi-finals, and the final.

Teams qualified so far

South Africa (co-host), Zimbabwe (co-host), India, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, England, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan have already qualified for the World Cup. The remaining four spots will be determined through a qualifier scheduled for early next year, featuring 10 teams including co-hosts Namibia, the West Indies, and Ireland.