ICC and CSA to unveil 2027 World Cup schedule and ticket ballot in Cape Town on October 1

One-year countdown begins as schedule and ticket ballot are unveiled

The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) will lift the lid on the full match schedule for the 2027 World Cup in Cape Town on Thursday, October 1, in an event that also marks the official one-year countdown to the tournament. As part of the launch, fans will be able to register for the ticket ballot, opening the door to a cricket festival set to be staged across three host nations.

ICC and Cricket South Africa unveil the 2027 World Cup schedule in Cape Town

Tournament dates and team qualification

As previously reported by Cricbuzz on August 15, the World Cup will begin on October 2 next year — coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti Day — and will conclude on November 21, 2027. Ten of the 14 teams taking part will have been identified by September 30, the cut-off date for qualification.

Two of those sides will be the hosts, South Africa and Zimbabwe, while the other eight will earn their places on the basis of the ICC ODI rankings. The remaining four teams will come through the qualifiers and will be listed in the schedule as Qualifier 1, 2, 3 and 4. Namibia is also a host country, but their qualification is not yet assured.

As it stands, India (No. 1), New Zealand (No. 2), Pakistan (No. 4), Australia (No. 5), England (No. 6), Sri Lanka (No. 7), Afghanistan (No. 8) and Bangladesh (No. 9) are the eight teams in line to make the cut through the rankings. Bangladesh, despite being ninth in the rankings, will sneak through because South Africa, the third-ranked side, earn their place as hosts. The West Indies, currently engaged in an ODI series in India, will have to come through the qualifiers, which are scheduled to be held early next year.

Ticket ballot opens October 1

The ICC will also launch the ballot for World Cup tickets on Thursday. While tickets will not be available for immediate purchase, fans will be able to register for the ticket ballot from October 1.

The format: Super Series to Super 7

According to an ICC release, the 2027 World Cup has been divided into three rounds before the semi-finals and the final:

Super Series: The tournament begins with the three lowest-ranked of the 14 qualified teams competing in a round-robin format. The team finishing top will progress to the next stage.
Round 2: 30 matches featuring 12 teams divided into two groups of six, playing in a round-robin format. The top three teams from each group, along with the next best-placed team across both groups, advance to the Super 7 stage.
Super 7: 21 round-robin matches, with the top four teams progressing to the semi-finals.

In the semi-finals, the team finishing first in the Super 7 standings will face the fourth-placed side, while the second-placed team takes on the third-placed team. More details from the Cape Town launch are expected to follow.