India’s Hardik Pandya, right, celebrates with teammate Ishan Kishan (AP Photo)

The International Cricket Council (ICC)’s revised format for the 2027 ODI World Cup has not only given India and Pakistan They faced each other three times during the tournament, but it also sparked criticism about how inclusive cricket’s biggest event actually is. At a time when major global sporting events are expanding opportunities to more countries, the ICC has opted for a format that, despite officially expanding the ODI World Cup from 10 to 14 teams, effectively limits meaningful participation to lower-ranked sides. The new structure requires the three lowest-ranked qualified teams to fight for a spot in the main competition, meaning only one of them advances while the other two are eliminated before even reaching the main stage of the tournament. The governing body has said the new format is designed to make each match more meaningful from the opening day and strengthen the competitive narrative throughout the event. However, it also paves the way for several meetings between cricket’s biggest rivals.

First meeting in the group stage

The tournament will start with a ‘Super Series’ involving teams 12, 13 and 14. Only the winner of that round-robin will advance to the next stage. The remaining 12 teams will then be divided into two groups of six each. Each side will face the other teams in its group once, with the top three teams from each group and the next best team overall qualifying for the Super 7s. The ICC does not use a completely random draw for its global events, and India and Pakistan have regularly found themselves in the same group in recent tournaments. If this continues in 2027, the rivals could meet in the group stage for the first time.

Super 7 opened the door for another match

The seven qualifying teams will then compete in a single round-robin Super 7 stage. Since each team plays each other once, India and Pakistan will be guaranteed another meeting if they reach this stage, taking their tally to two in the same tournament. The top four teams of Super 7 will qualify for the semi-finals.

Knockout stage could yield third blockbuster

This format also leaves room for a third India-Pakistan competition. If both teams qualify for the Final Four, they may 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 may face each other in the final. This means the revised format allows three India-Pakistan matches in an ODI World Cup: one in the group stage, one in the Super 7s, and another in the semi-finals or final. While the ICC has presented the changes as a way to increase the importance of every game, the format has also drawn attention for effectively reducing opportunities for emerging nations as well as increasing the chances of repeated meetings between the game’s biggest commercial rivals.