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India vs Pakistan at the 2027 Cricket World Cup: Every Meeting You Can Plan For
India vs Pakistan at the 2027 Cricket World Cup is set for Sunday 10 October 2027 at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, and the new tournament format means the two rivals could meet up to three times in six weeks. The ICC published the full schedule on 1 October 2026. One meeting is certain, one has a date and ground waiting on both teams qualifying, and a third depends on how the knockout stage falls.
As of early October 2026, match start times had not been published and four of the 14 places in the tournament were still to be decided at the Cricket World Cup Qualifier. Everything below comes from the ICC's published schedule, and anything unconfirmed is marked as such.
How the New Format Can Put the Rivals Together Three Times
The 2027 World Cup has 14 teams and three phases before the semi-finals. India, Australia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and one qualifier make up Group A, and each team plays the other five once. The top three from each group move into a Super 7 stage, joined by the better fourth-placed side across the two groups. No points carry over, and the seven teams play each other once, which gives every side six more matches between 25 October and 14 November.
To help fans plan, the ICC has pre-seeded the Super 7 slots. India are A1, Australia A2 and Pakistan A3, with England at AB4 and New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka at B1, B2 and B3. If a seeded team fails to qualify, the side that takes its place inherits its slot and its fixtures. The top four after the Super 7 reach the semi-finals, with first facing fourth and second facing third.
The Three Possible India vs Pakistan Matches
Group Stage: Sunday 10 October 2027, Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
This is the one fixture that is certain. India open against defending champions Australia at Newlands in Cape Town on Thursday 7 October, a rematch of the 2023 final. Pakistan begin against Afghanistan at SuperSport Park in Tshwane on Friday 8 October. The two teams then meet in Johannesburg on the Sunday, and the Associated Press reported that the groups were arranged to guarantee this fixture.
Super 7: Sunday 7 November 2027, Newlands, Cape Town
The ICC lists A1 against A3 in Cape Town on 7 November, which is India against Pakistan if both qualify for the Super 7. Because points reset after the group stage, this is a fresh contest with no first result attached. It is the fourth of six Super 7 matches for each side, with two still to play afterwards, so semi-final places should still be in play.
Knockouts: 17, 18 or 21 November 2027
The first semi-final is at Newlands on Wednesday 17 November and the second at SuperSport Park in Tshwane on Thursday 18 November, with the final at the Wanderers on Sunday 21 November. Each has a reserve day. Nothing in the published format rules out a rematch, since first against fourth or second against third could pair the rivals, or both could reach the final. Only one of those two can happen, so three meetings is the ceiling.
Where India and Pakistan could meet in South Africa. Illustration by CrickBuster.
India's 8-0 ODI World Cup Record Against Pakistan
India have beaten Pakistan in all eight of their ODI World Cup meetings, a streak that Wisden noted equals Pakistan's own 8-0 run against Sri Lanka. The first came in Sydney in 1992, a 43-run win that did not stop Pakistan going on to lift the trophy. India won a 1996 quarter-final in Bangalore by 39 runs after Pakistan had been 113 for 1, and a 1999 match at Old Trafford by 47 runs, played against the backdrop of the Kargil conflict.
The 2003 meeting at Centurion, the same SuperSport Park that hosts a 2027 semi-final, was billed as a duel between Sachin Tendulkar and Shoaib Akhtar. Pakistan made 273 for 7 on the back of a Saeed Anwar century, and India chased it down with six wickets and 26 balls to spare, Tendulkar making 98. After that came a 29-run win in the 2011 semi-final at Mohali, 76 runs in Adelaide in 2015, 89 runs under DLS at Old Trafford in 2019, and seven wickets in Ahmedabad in 2023.
The T20 World Cup record is almost as one-sided. India have won eight of nine meetings, counting a 2007 group match that finished tied and was settled by a bowl-out, and Pakistan's only win came in Dubai in 2021. The two teams have not played a bilateral series since Pakistan toured India in December 2012 for three ODIs and two T20 internationals, so tournaments like this one are where the rivalry now plays out.
Johannesburg Has Seen This Rivalry Before
The Wanderers already has an India-Pakistan final in its history. On 24 September 2007, in front of a sell-out crowd of about 32,000, India beat Pakistan by five runs to win the first T20 World Cup. Gautam Gambhir made 75 off 54 balls in India's 157 for 5, and Pakistan, needing 13 from the last over, lost their final wicket when Misbah-ul-Haq was caught by Sreesanth, ending the chase on 152. India's other final at the ground went the other way, when Australia won the 2003 World Cup.
India have won all eight ODI World Cup meetings against Pakistan.
What Is Really at Stake on 10 October
Because the top three in a six-team group go through, plus the best fourth-placed side across both groups, one defeat is unlikely to end anyone's tournament. The pre-seeding also means finishing position within the top three does not change the Super 7 fixtures. That makes the first meeting about qualification, momentum and the weight of an 8-0 ODI World Cup record. Both sides will arrive with a game already played, India against Australia on 7 October and Pakistan against Afghanistan on 8 October.
There is a farewell edge as well. Virat Kohli said at the schedule launch in Cape Town that 2027 will be his last World Cup for India, and he made a century against Pakistan in Adelaide in 2015. Pakistan are still searching for a first ODI World Cup win over India.
The Grounds: Wanderers and Newlands
Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
The Wanderers sits in Illovo, just south of Sandton and about 10 kilometres north of Johannesburg city centre. It opened in 1956 and is nicknamed the Bullring for its intimidating atmosphere. AFP calls it the tournament's biggest venue, with a capacity usually given as around 30,000, though published figures range from 28,000 to 34,000. Johannesburg sits high on the Highveld, well over 1,500 metres above sea level, and the ground is regarded as a high-scoring venue.
It has hosted the biggest days. South Africa chased down Australia's 434 for 4 there in a 2006 ODI, and the ground stages the 2027 final on 21 November, six weeks after India vs Pakistan.
The Wanderers, known as the Bullring.
Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town
Newlands has Table Mountain and Devil's Peak behind the stands and a capacity of around 25,000. Its first Test was played in 1889, and it hosted the opening match of the 2003 World Cup. In 2027 it stages India's opener against Australia on 7 October, the A1 against A3 Super 7 match on 7 November and the first semi-final on 17 November. Cape Town in November is typically dry, with highs around 24°C, though afternoon winds are common.
Newlands hosts the Super 7 meeting on 7 November.
Planning a Trip to the India vs Pakistan Match
Fans who want to be at the Wanderers on 10 October 2027 can book through CrickBuster, which packages guaranteed official match tickets with general and hospitality seating, stadium and airport transfers, accommodation and flights. Packages can also include excursions and sightseeing, which is worth considering because the fixtures run across Johannesburg, Tshwane and Cape Town within a few weeks. The ICC's own ticket ballot is open for registration until 23:59 SAST on 21 November 2026.
Plan for rain in Johannesburg, where October averages about nine days with some rainfall, daytime highs near 24°C and cool nights. Start times had not been published as of early October 2026, so it is worth confirming flights and hotels once the ICC releases them.
