Cape Town, Sep 30 (IANS) The countdown to cricket’s biggest event on African soil in 23 years will officially begin on Thursday when the International Cricket Council (ICC) unveils the schedule for the 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup during a grand launch event in Cape Town on Thursday.
Set to be broadcast live on JioHotstar and the Star Sports Network from 8:30 pm IST in India, the high-profile launch ceremony at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) will mark the exact one-year landmark for the 14-team mega event, which runs from October 2 to November 21, 2027, in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
Alongside the schedule release, the ICC will also open the global ticket ballot, giving fans worldwide a fair opportunity to secure their tickets across 12 host venues hosting 57 matches. Ten of the 14 participating nations will have secured direct qualification based on the September 30 cut-off date.
Hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe receive automatic entry, and are joined by top-ranked ODI nations India, Australia, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. The remaining four slots will be decided through a multi-team global qualifier to be played early next year, with two-time champion West Indies set to feature in it and aim to qualify for the mega event.
For Indian batting stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the 2027 ODI World Cup represents a final opportunity to cap off stellar international careers with championship glory. Speaking to JioStar, Rohit recalled the overwhelming emotion of leading India to the 2024 T20 World Cup and expressed his deep craving to replicate that feeling on the 50-over stage.
“It’ll be great to win the upcoming ODI World Cup. I wouldn’t think about full circle and all that now. Winning a World Cup for India is a special feeling. I have experienced that twice in the T20 format. In 2007, I was just a young kid of 20 years. Of course, it’s a big tournament; you’ve won a World Cup in your first year, it’s great.
“Then we won the Champions Trophy in 2013, and after that there was a long period, almost for 11 years, where we couldn’t win an ICC title. So that’s why, when we won the T20 World Cup in 2024, there was a realisation of how important it was. So that feeling is still inside to a great extent. I know what winning a World Cup feels like.
“So that’s why I want that feeling back. The fun we had, you can’t describe what that feeling is, because you can’t match that. That’s why winning that World Cup is very important to me, because I want to have that feeling again, which we felt recently,” Rohit said.
Kohli, who lifted the 2011 ODI World Cup trophy early in his career at home, declared that his final World Cup appearance provides all the motivation he needs to leave everything on the field. “I’m not in a place where I feel like, if it didn’t happen earlier, I have to do it now. But for me, it’s the last World Cup I’m going to play for India. And that is my motivation.
“Like, to leave everything out there. And of course, the goal is absolutely to win the World Cup. And whatever it takes, I’m absolutely ready. My goal is to win as many games as I can for the team, and my dream is to play a match-winning knock in the finals while chasing a score; that would be ideal. If it happens, great.
“If it doesn’t happen and we win the World Cup, I’ll be just as happy because, eventually, you understand that, as much as that competitive nature is there, it’s the last time you’re getting to play in a World Cup. So, winning that trophy is the most important thing,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the free ticket ballot will remain open from October 1 until November 21, 2026. Fans can request up to four tickets per match across all categories, with a randomised draw determining allocations wherever demand exceeds stadium capacity.
Watch the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 schedule announcement tomorrow, from 8:30 PM onwards, LIVE on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network.
–IANS
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