India and Pakistan to face each other three times? ICC’s new World Cup format explained | Cricket News
The revised format of the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the 2027 ODI World Cup has not only increased India’s chances and Pakistan faced off three times during the tournament, but it also came back to criticize what is truly cricket’s biggest event. At a time when major global sporting events are expanding opportunities for many countries, the ICC has opted for a format that, despite officially increasing the ODI World Cup from 10 to 14 teams, effectively limits meaningful participation for lower-ranked sides. The new structure requires the three lowest-ranked qualifying teams to fight for a spot in the main competition, meaning only one of them advances while the other two are eliminated before the tournament reaches its main stages. The governing body says the new format is designed to make every match more meaningful from the opening day and strengthen the competitive narrative throughout the event. However, it also creates a pathway for more meetings between cricket’s greatest rivals.
First meeting of the group stage
The tournament will begin with a ‘Super Series’ involving Teams 12, 13 and 14. Only the winner of that round-robin will advance to the next round. The remaining 12 teams will be divided into two groups of six. Each side plays the rest of their group once, with the top three teams from each group and the next best team overall qualifying for the Super 7. The ICC does not use a completely random draw for global events, and India and Pakistan have often found themselves in the same group in recent tournaments. If it continues in 2027, the rivals could meet for the first time in the group stage.
Super 7 opened the door for a second encounter
The seven qualifying teams will then compete in the single round-robin Super 7 stage. Since each team will play each other once, India and Pakistan are guaranteed one more meeting if both reach this stage, bringing their tally to two matches in the same tournament. The top four teams from Super 7 will qualify for the semi-finals.
The knockout stage will produce a third blockbuster
The format also leaves room for a third India-Pakistan match. If both teams qualify for the last four, they can meet in the semi-finals if they finish first and fourth or second and third in the Super 7 standings. If they finish on opposite sides of the draw, they can face each other in the final instead. That means the revised format allows for up to three India-Pakistan matches in an ODI World Cup: one in the group stage, one in the Super 7, and one in the semi-final or final. While the ICC presented the changes as a way to increase the importance of each game, the format also drew attention for effectively reducing opportunities for developing countries while simultaneously increasing the chances of repeat meetings between the game’s biggest commercial rivals.
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