Shreyas Iyer being congratulated by Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam after winning the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 match between India and Pakistan, at Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad. (PTI Photo)
The Group Stage will begin on October 7, with India taking on Australia in a repeat of the 2023 World Cup final in Cape Town. South Africa will begin their campaign against New Zealand in Cape Town on October 9, while co-host Zimbabwe will face Qualifier A in Bulawayo on the same day. Shubman Gill’s men will face arch-rivals Pakistan at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on October 10. The two semi-finals will be played at Cape Town and Centurion on November 17 and 18 while the final will be played at the Wanderers on November 21. Of the 14 teams at the tournament, South Africa and Zimbabwe qualified directly as hosts, alongside the best eight teams on the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings at the 30 September 2026 cut-off.