England edged out defending champions Australia and world number one India in the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup group stage draw.
India and Pakistan are again in the same group as Australia, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and the qualifiers.
England, who won the trophy in 2019, are in the same group as co-hosts South Africa, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the qualifiers.
Resurgent in the 50-over format, Harry Brook’s side begin their campaign against Bangladesh on October 8 and Sri Lanka in Windhoek, Namibia on October 13.
They will face South Africa in Gkeberha on October 16 and travel to Harare for a qualifier on October 20. They finish the group stage when they face New Zealand again in Gkeberha on 23 October.
The trip to Zimbabwe is a landmark, England haven’t played there since 2004.
Political unrest in Zimbabwe under the regime of former president Robert Mugabe caused problems for England’s men’s team in the 2000s.
England boycotted the 2003 World Cup game against Zimbabwe in Harare – a decision that ultimately derailed their campaign.
Relations have improved in recent years and BBC Sport reported in 2025 that the two cricket boards were discussing a potential England tour of the country in the next cycle of international cricket between 2027 and 2031.
The group stage of the tournament will open with a repeat of the 2023 final when India and Australia meet in Cape Town on October 7, after three games to decide the final two qualifiers.
Arch-rivals India and Pakistan, who have not faced each other outside of tournaments, will meet in Johannesburg on October 10.
The top three from the two groups, plus the best fourth-place athlete, advance to the Super 7 stage.
From there, the top four teams will qualify for the semi-finals, scheduled for November 17 and 18, before the final in Johannesburg on November 21.