World Cup 2027 Groups Revealed: India, Pakistan in Pool A

Cricket fans across the world have received a major update ahead of the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. Before unveiling the complete match schedule, the International Cricket Council revealed the group allocations for the showpiece tournament in Southern Africa. The announcement sets up immediate excitement, with arch-rivals India and Pakistan drawn together in the same pool alongside reigning champions Australia.

ICC Unveils World Cup 2027 Groups

The 2027 edition will feature an expanded lineup compared to the previous tournament. The main group stage will showcase 12 teams split evenly across two pools of six. Ten teams have earned their spots through automatic qualification and world rankings, while the remaining two places will be filled by qualifying sides.

🚨 GROUPS FOR THE 2027 CRICKET WORLD CUP ARE HERE! 🏆🔥

🅰️ GROUP A
🇦🇫 Afghanistan, 🇦🇺 Australia, 🇮🇳 India, 🇵🇰 Pakistan
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe, 🏳️ Qualifier A

🅱️ GROUP B
🇧🇩 Bangladesh, 🏴 England, 🇿🇦 South Africa, 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka, 🇳🇿 New Zealand, 🏳️ Qualifier B#WorldCup2027… pic.twitter.com/8XQJxQgqUM

— CricInformer (@CricInformer) October 1, 2026

Tournament Format and Path to the Knockouts

The 2027 Cricket World Cup marks a return to African soil for the first time in 24 years, with matches scheduled across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. To accommodate 14 participating nations overall, the tournament will use a revised multi-stage structure.

Before the main group stage begins, a preliminary round will take place involving the lowest-ranked qualifiers. The top sides advancing from that opening phase will move into Group A and Group B as Qualifier A and Qualifier B, rounding out the 12-team field.

Once the group stage begins, teams will play each opponent in their group once in a round-robin system. The top three sides from each pool, along with the next best-performing team across both groups, will progress to a seven-team Super 7 stage. The top four sides from the Super 7 phase will then advance to the semi-finals to fight for a place in the final.

Heavyweight Clashes on the Horizon

Group A promises to be fiercely competitive. India, Australia and Pakistan share a rich World Cup history, while Afghanistan have consistently shown they can defeat any top side on their day. Co-hosts Zimbabwe will also look to use home conditions to challenge the heavyweight teams.

Group B presents an equally tough challenge. Co-hosts South Africa will battle former champions England, finalists New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. With only seven spots open in the second round, every group fixture will carry heavy significance from the opening week of the competition.