India, Australia and Pakistan in same World Cup group

India will meet defending champions Australia and bitter rivals Pakistan in their first two matches at the 2027 Cricket World Cup, the International Cricket Council announced on Thursday.

The India-Australia match, a repeat of the 2023 final, will be in Cape Town on 7 October and the India-Pakistan clash will take place in Johannesburg three days later.

🇮🇳 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐀 🆚 𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐀 🇦🇺

Two of cricket's giants open #CWC27 at Newlands on the 7th of October 2027 🔥#SSCricket pic.twitter.com/EW6GecHHCp
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) October 1, 2026

The tournament, hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, will start on 4 October and the final will be played on 27 November.

The group match between India and Pakistan will be played at the Wanderers Stadium, the tournament's biggest venue, and tickets are almost certain to be in high demand.

Group A is confirmed 🤩🔥

The countdown to the #CWC27 has officially begun 😏#SSCricket pic.twitter.com/uZ206iqAJV
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) October 1, 2026

After a preliminary round to eliminate two of the three lowest-ranked teams, 12 teams will be split into two groups for round-robin matches before the top three in each group, and the best fourth-placed team, qualify for a Super Seven phase, followed by semifinals and the final.

Because of political tensions between the two countries, India and Pakistan have only played each other in ICC events since Pakistan toured India for three one-day internationals and two Twenty20 internationals in December 2012.

The rivalry is intense despite India having won all eight matches against Pakistan in Cricket World Cups and eight out of nine in T20 World Cups.

Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and a qualifier will also be in group A.