Next year’s ODI World Cup in Africa is likely to begin on October 2, 2027 – Gandhi Jayanti Day. There has been no official communication regarding the start date of the quadrennial tournament yet, however com. cricbuzz You are aware that the International Cricket Council (ICC) is working to start the tournament on that day to commemorate the life of the leader who stood for peace and non-violence. South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia are the participating host countries.
It is clear that the ICC intends to celebrate the start of the FIFA World Cup in conjunction with the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, who also had strong ties with South Africa. Gandhi, the architect of India’s freedom movement, spent 21 years in South Africa, making the ICC’s move a fitting tribute to a leader hailed as India’s Father of the Nation. The ICC’s plans certainly carry a strong message at a time when the world order has become increasingly polarized.
Initially, the International Cricket Council had intended to start the World Cup matches on October 8 (Friday), after warm-up matches were held in the first week of the month – October 1 to 7 – something Cricbuzz had I mentioned previously. However, plans appear to have undergone some changes, with the revised schedule now likely to see the tournament start on October 2, with friendlies before then scaled back. The final is expected to remain on November 21 (Sunday), meaning the World Cup with 14 teams will last for approximately 50 days.
The ICC recently announced 12 venues in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia as host cities at a distinguished ceremony in Johannesburg. Eight cities across South Africa, three in Zimbabwe, and Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, have been revealed as venues to host the event.
The venues identified are Wanderers Stadium (Johannesburg), Centurion (Tshwane), Newlands Cricket Ground (Cape Town), Kingsmead Cricket Ground (Durban), St George’s Park (Gjibirha), Mangaung Oval (Bloemfontein), Boland Park (Paarl) and Buffalo Park (Cogombo City, formerly known as East London) – all in South Africa. Harare Sports Club (Harare), Queens Sports Club (Bulawayo) and Mosi Awa Tunya International Cricket Stadium (Victoria Falls) are the three stadiums in Zimbabwe. The twelfth stadium is the Namibia Cricket Ground (Windhoek).
The World Cup witnessed a Change in shapewhere the three lowest-ranked teams compete in a mini-league, called the Premier Series. The winner of the Super Series will join the remaining 11 teams to form a 12-team field, which will be divided into two groups. Teams will play each other within their groups, followed by the Super Seven stage, semi-finals and final.
South Africa (co-host), Zimbabwe (co-host), India, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, England, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have already qualified for the World Cup. The remaining four teams will be determined through the qualifiers that will be held early next year with the participation of 10 teams, including co-hosts Namibia, the West Indies and Ireland.
