According to a Cricbuzz report, the 48 matches of the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 will be played between October 5 and November 19 across 12 venues in India.

The 2023 Men’s World Cup is set to begin on October 5 with a match between England and New Zealand in Ahmedabad – in other words, a team-and-venue encore of the 1996 edition.

Hosts India will play their first match against Australia in Chennai. On October 15, they will host arch rivals Pakistan in Ahmedabad, which will also host the final, on November 19.

As per the same report, Pakistan have finally confirmed their availability for the World Cup. Barring the India match, they will play their other league encounters in Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru.

The other eight venues to feature ICC World Cup 2023 matches are Delhi, Dharamsala, Guwahati, Indore, Kolkata, Mumbai, Rajkot, and Raipur. At least one of the two semi-finals may be played in Mumbai.

There will be 10 teams at this year’s World Cup. As hosts, India have qualified directly, as have Afghanistan, Australia, England, Bangladesh,  New Zealand, Pakistan, and South Africa through the 2020-2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League.

Two other teams will make it to the World Cup through the World Cup Qualifiers, to be played in Zimbabwe in June and July. Apart from former champions Sri Lanka and the West Indies, the Qualifiers will also feature Ireland, Nepal, the Netherlands, Oman, Scotland, the UAE, the USA, and hosts Zimbabwe.

At the World Cup in India, the 10 teams will play each other once in a round-robin league featuring 45 matches. These will be followed by the semi-finals and the final.

ICC World Cup 2023 venues: Full list of cities and stadiums for WC 2023

Ahmedabad: Narendra Modi Stadium, Motera (England v New Zealand tournament opener; India v Pakistan; final)
Bengaluru: M Chinnaswamy Stadium
Chennai: MA Chidambaram Stadium
Delhi: Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium
Dharamsala: Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium
Guwahati: Assam Cricket Association Stadium
Hyderabad: Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Uppal
Indore: Holkar Stadium
Kolkata: Eden Gardens
Mumbai: Wankhede Stadium (at least one semi-final)
Raipur: Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium
Rajkot: Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium