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South Africa Carries the 2027 World Cup
The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027 runs from 2 October to 21 November 2027, and South Africa carries most of it. Eight of the tournament's twelve venues are South African, the final will be played in Johannesburg on 21 November, and both semi-finals are in the country too: Cape Town on 17 November and Tshwane on 18 November. Zimbabwe hosts three venues and Namibia one.
That makes this a tournament worth following across a whole country. In a few weeks a fan can watch cricket in Cape Town, on the Highveld around Johannesburg and on the Indian Ocean coast in Durban, with very different cities in between. This guide takes the eight South African grounds one by one, then looks at how to link them into a route.
How the Tournament Is Laid Out
Fourteen teams play 57 matches. South Africa and Zimbabwe qualify as hosts, eight teams come through the ODI rankings and four through the Cricket World Cup Qualifier. A three-team Super Series in Windhoek, Namibia, opens the tournament on 2 October, and its winner joins the main draw.
The twelve main-draw teams are split into two groups of six. Group A is Australia, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and a qualifier, while Group B is South Africa, New Zealand, England, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and a qualifier. The top three in each group, plus the best fourth-placed side, move into a seven-team Super 7 round-robin, and the top four there play the semi-finals.
The Super 7 fixtures on the published schedule assume the pre-seeded sides take their slots, and a team that qualifies in place of a seeded side would take over that slot. Every Super 7 fixture mentioned in this guide is therefore provisional.
The Eight South African Grounds, City by City
Capacities are the figures listed for the tournament. Dates are group-stage dates from the published schedule unless marked provisional.
Cape Town: Newlands
Newlands holds about 25,000 and stages the group-stage opener, India v Australia on 7 October, a rematch of the 2023 final. South Africa play New Zealand there on 9 October, and the first semi-final follows on 17 November. A provisional Super 7 meeting between South Africa and New Zealand is scheduled for 12 November.
Johannesburg: Wanderers Stadium
The Wanderers is the largest ground in the draw at about 34,000, and it has history with this tournament: it staged the 2003 World Cup final, when Australia beat India by 125 runs. India v Pakistan comes here on 10 October, South Africa v Sri Lanka on 22 October, and the 2027 final on 21 November, with 22 November held as a reserve day. A provisional Super 7 fixture, South Africa v India, is listed for 31 October.
Tshwane: Centurion Park
Cricket in Tshwane is played at Centurion Park, better known as SuperSport Park, which holds about 22,000. Pakistan meet Afghanistan there on 8 October, India play Afghanistan on 14 October, and the second semi-final is on 18 November. Johannesburg and Tshwane sit close together in Gauteng, so a single base can cover matches at both grounds.
Durban: Kingsmead
Kingsmead, with room for about 25,000, brings the Indian Ocean coast into the tournament. Sri Lanka play Bangladesh on 16 October and South Africa play Bangladesh on 19 October. Durban also has four provisional Super 7 dates, from 3 to 14 November, including South Africa v Pakistan on 3 November.
Gqeberha: St George's Park
St George's Park holds about 19,000. South Africa face England on 16 October and England meet New Zealand on 23 October. A provisional South Africa v Australia Super 7 match is listed here for 9 November.
Bloemfontein: Mangaung Oval
Mangaung Oval, capacity about 20,000, is the inland stop. Pakistan play Qualifier A on 15 October and India play Qualifier A on 17 October. Three provisional Super 7 matches follow, on 6, 10 and 13 November.
Paarl: Boland Park
Boland Park in the Cape Winelands is the smallest South African ground in the draw, at about 10,000. Australia play Qualifier A on 12 October, South Africa play Qualifier B on 13 October and Australia meet Pakistan on 22 October.
KuGompo City: Buffalo Park
KuGompo City is the new name for East London, changed in February 2026, so fans searching older guides may need both names. Buffalo Park holds about 16,000 and hosts New Zealand v Bangladesh on 12 October, Australia v Afghanistan on 18 October and Afghanistan v Qualifier A on 21 October.
For detailed information on all twelve venues, including capacities, match schedules, history, weather and travel tips, see our ICC World Cup 2027 venues guide.
Building a Route Across the Country
South Africa is a big country, so the route matters more than the ticket list. Some grounds pair naturally. Cape Town and Paarl are both in the Western Cape, and Johannesburg and Tshwane share Gauteng, so one base can serve two grounds in each region. Durban, Gqeberha and KuGompo City run along the east and south-east coast, and Bloemfontein lies inland.
Fans following one team can build a route around its group fixtures. South Africa's own run, for example, takes in Cape Town on 9 October, Paarl on 13 October, Gqeberha on 16 October, Durban on 19 October and Johannesburg on 22 October: five different grounds in two weeks.
Matches start at either 10:00 or 12:30 local time, which is 08:00 or 10:30 GMT. India v Pakistan on 10 October starts at 10:00, for example, while South Africa v New Zealand on 9 October starts at 12:30, so check the time for each match before you finalise travel. South Africa is on UTC+2 all year, two hours ahead of GMT.
What to Do Around the Cricket
Cape Town offers Table Mountain, the waterfront and, an easy trip away, the Winelands around Paarl. Johannesburg has the Apartheid Museum and the township history of Soweto, and Tshwane is home to the Union Buildings in Pretoria. Durban is built around its Indian Ocean beachfront, and Gqeberha is the gateway to Addo Elephant National Park.
South Africa's group fixtures are three to four days apart, so fans following the hosts have room for a proper stop in each city rather than a flight, a match and a flight home.
Plan Your Trip to the 2027 World Cup
Book with CrickBuster and the whole trip can be built around the fixtures: guaranteed official match tickets in general and hospitality seating, airport and stadium transfers, accommodation, flights, excursions and sightseeing, and fan experiences where offered. A package can follow one team across several cities or settle into one region for a handful of matches. Flexible routes are also available, so contact the CrickBuster team to know more.
October and November fall in South African spring. Johannesburg typically sees daytime highs near 25°C with afternoon thundershowers, while Cape Town averages around 22 to 24°C and is known for a strong south-easterly wind. Pack for sun and rain, and check entry requirements for your passport well before you book flights.
