India and Pakistan drawn in same group for 2027 Cricket World Cup

India and Pakistan have been drawn in the same group at the 2027 Cricket World Cup and will meet at The Wanderers in Johannesburg on October 10 next year, according to fixtures announced on Thursday 1 October. 1 2 India's first group match is against defending champions Australia in Cape Town on October 7, a repeat of the 2023 final. 2 1 The tournament is co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. A preliminary round-robin of three teams in Windhoek starts on October 2 and will produce the final qualifier. 1 2

Group A is Afghanistan, Australia, India, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and a qualifier. Group B is Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka and a second qualifier. 1 The top three teams in each group, plus the best fourth-placed team, advance to a Super Seven phase. That runs from October 25 to November 14 and is followed by semi-finals on November 17 and 18 and the final in Johannesburg. 1 2 The final's date is given inconsistently. CNA and ABC News (Australia) say November 21 at the Wanderers, and the fixture list in the AFP report carried by Gulf News also says November 21. That report's text, however, says November 27. 3 1 2

Other group fixtures include Pakistan v Afghanistan in Centurion on October 8 and Australia v Pakistan in Paarl on October 22. Zimbabwe play India at Victoria Falls on October 24. In Group B, South Africa meet New Zealand in Cape Town on October 9, and England play South Africa on October 16 and New Zealand on October 23 in Gqeberha. 2 CNA describes the India-Pakistan rivalry as fierce and fuelled by political tensions, and ABC calls their group "potentially explosive". AFP adds that the two countries have played each other only in ICC events since Pakistan's 2012 tour of India. It also says India have won all eight World Cup meetings and eight of nine in T20 World Cups. 1 3 2 At the launch in Cape Town, India batter Virat Kohli, 37, said it would be his last World Cup. Australia captain Pat Cummins said that playing India feels like "a billion people watching". 2

ABC News (Australia) leads with Australia's defence of the title, calling the match against India, the world number one side, a "blockbuster opener" and describing it as the tournament's opening match. CNA instead says it opens the second stage, after a preliminary round starting October 2. ABC adds that Australia's last group game is against Pakistan at Paarl, and that Zimbabwe were beaten 3-0 by Australia in a recent one-day series. 3 1 ABC says the other group looks "potentially even more challenging", with South Africa, "desperately seeking its first men's World Cup", facing England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and another qualifier. It says the semi-finals will both be played in South Africa. 3