Online Reporter
ZIMBABWE will know the schedule for the 2027 World Cup today when it is unveiled by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in Cape Town.
The event, marking the one-year countdown to the tournament, will also see the release of tickets for the games.
The World Cup will begin on October 2 and conclude on November 21, 2027.
Ten of the 14 teams taking part in the World Cup will have been identified by September 30, the cut-off date for qualification.
Two of them will be the hosts, South Africa and Zimbabwe, while the other eight will make it on the basis of the ICC ODI rankings.
The remaining four teams will come through the qualifiers and will be listed in the schedule as Qualifier 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Apart from South Africa and Zimbabwe, Namibia is also a host country, but its qualification is not yet assured.
As of now, India (No. 1), New Zealand (No. 2), Pakistan (No. 4), Australia (No. 5), England (No. 6), Sri Lanka (No. 7), Afghanistan (No. 8) and Bangladesh (No. 9) are the eight teams in line to make the cut through the rankings.
Bangladesh, despite being ninth in the rankings, will sneak through as South Africa, the third-ranked side, earns their place as hosts.
West Indies, currently engaged in an ODI series in India, will have to come through the qualifiers, which are scheduled to be held early next year.
The ICC will also launch the ballot for World Cup tickets today.
While tickets will not be available for immediate purchase, fans will be able to register for the ticket ballot from today.
According to an ICC release, the 2027 World Cup has been divided into three rounds before the semi-finals and the final.
The tournament begins with a Super Series featuring the three lowest-ranked of the 14 qualified teams in a round-robin format.
The team finishing top will progress to the next stage.
Round 2 will have 30 matches featuring 12 teams who will be divided into two groups of six and will play in a round-robin format.
The top three teams from each group, along with the next best-placed team across both groups, will advance to the Super 7 stage.
The Super 7 stage will consist of 21 round-robin matches, with the top four teams progressing to the semi-finals.
In the semi-finals, the team finishing first in the Super 7 standings will face the fourth-placed side, while the second-placed team will take on the third-placed team.
The winners of the two semi-finals will compete in the final for the ultimate prize.
Meanwhile, a triangular One Day International series that was slated to feature Zimbabwe, Ireland and hosts Pakistan, early next year, is set to be scrapped with Zimbabwe not expected to take part.
Zimbabwe’s involvement is understood to have fallen through due to commercial reasons, and both parties are believed to be working on an alternate window.
Ireland and Zimbabwe were scheduled to play the series in Pakistan in January 2027, but now it’s likely to be scaled down to a bilateral white-ball series between Pakistan and Ireland.
A home Test against Ireland was also in the works, but Cricinfo understands that possibility has receded.
“The PCB and Cricket Ireland are currently working through a revised schedule for the tour, and details will be made available shortly,” a Cricket Ireland spokesperson told Cricinfo.
While both parties were believed to have been actively working on the tour, including the one-off Test match, shifting priorities now render that possibility increasingly remote.
Pakistan have made no secret of their desire to play more 50-over cricket in an ODI World Cup year.
They are scheduled to host Sri Lanka and England in a tri-series next month.
A five-match ODI series in Bangladesh is also in the works, while another five in England next summer have been confirmed.
Ireland, meanwhile, play the World Cup qualifiers in February in a bid to ensure they make it to the finals later in the year, scheduled to be hosted in October and November by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
The ODIs against Pakistan will help them prepare for it. — Cricbuzz/Wires
