The ICC ODI World Cup 2026 schedule was revealed on October 2, 2026, in South Africa, in the presence of some of the sport’s most prominent past players. South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia will host the ICC World Cup in 2026, which will take place from October 7 to November 21.
The 12 teams (two of which have yet to be determined) will be divided into two groups of six. Group A consists of Afghanistan, Australia, India, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, and one of the qualifying teams. Group B comprises Bangladesh, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and the other qualifier.
Today, we will take a look at the five blockbuster group-stage matches to watch out for in the ICC ODI World Cup 2027.
Here are the 5 group stage matches to watch out for in the ODI World Cup 2027:
5. Afghanistan vs Pakistan
Afghanistan has given Pakistan a run for their money in white-ball cricket in ICC tournaments. One of their most famous wins came in the ICC World Cup 2023. Pakistan losing to Afghanistan was a huge reason for them getting eliminated before the semi-finals. While Pakistan has the upper hand against Afghanistan, the Afghan side has shown great appetite to make upsets, and one of their targets is Pakistan. Expect this game to be a cliffhanger between two Asian nations.
4. New Zealand vs South Africa
New Zealand and South Africa will see the hosts taking on the Black Caps, the finalists of the 2015 and 2019 World Cups. South Africa has not reached the final of the ICC World Cup even once, and lost to Australia in the semis in the 2023 event in India. Hence, neither team has won the ICC World Cup trophy but has won the ICC World Test Championship trophy once. The two teams possess one of the best pace attacks and batters who know how to bat on seaming and bouncy pitches, and their contest will be a mouthwatering one.
3. England vs Australia
One of the oldest rivalries in one-day international cricket is England vs Australia. They played the very first match in ODI cricket and have won the ICC World Cup trophy as well. England and Australia have played some amazing encounters in the World Cup over the years, including the final of the ICC World Cup 1987 in Kolkata. Both teams possess some amazing batters, and their respective bowling units are the best in the world. Give them some pitches with true bounce and pace and watch sparks fly when the two heavyweights clash.
2. India vs Australia
The ICC World Cup 2027 main group stage will open with a blockbuster match between India and Australia on October 7 in Cape Town. These two teams played in the final of the ICC World Cup 2023, with Australia defeating India convincingly to become six-time champions. The last time the ODI World Cup was played in South Africa was in 2003, and these two teams had played in the final as well. India and Australia have been giving the fans a must-watch game to see over the years. India has won 11 of the 26 ODIs played against Australia at neutral venues, with Australia winning 12. Expect a high-voltage, closely fought game between the two top ODI teams.
1. India vs Pakistan
The most-watched game in every ICC event is the India vs Pakistan game, and these two teams will clash on October 10 in Johannesburg in a Group A tie. Pakistan has not defeated India in ODI World Cups, and the chasm between the quality of the two teams has deepened quite a lot. In World Cup events, Pakistan has only one win, in the 2021 T20 World Cup, over India, while Men in Blue have gotten the best and, in recent times, dominated Pakistan in the ODI format.
