The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the schedule for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 at a ‘Countdown to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023’ event in Mumbai.

The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will host both the tournament’s opening game and its conclusion in what will be the largest Cricket World Cup ever, which will take place over ten venues from 5 October to 19 November and feature ten teams.

Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamsala, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Pune are the other nine locations. Hyderabad will be joined by Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram in hosting the exhibition games.

The tournament will begin in Ahmedabad with a highly anticipated matchup between the 2019 World Cup finalists, England taking on New Zealand, while hosts India will play five-time champion Australia on October 8 in Chennai.

Ahmedabad will also host matches between traditional rivals India and Pakistan (15 October) and Australia and England (November 4), the ICCI said in a statement.

Eight teams have qualified for the 46-day event through the Cricket World Cup Super League while the final two spots will be taken by the finalists of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier taking place in Zimbabwe.

The tournament retains the round-robin format of last time with all teams playing against each other for a total of 45 league matches. There are six-day matches that will start at 10h30 Indian Standard Time (IST) while all other matches, including the knockouts, will be day-night fixtures starting at 14h00 IST.

The top four teams will qualify for the semifinals, to be played in Mumbai on November 15 and in Kolkata on November 16. The semi-finals and the final will have reserve days.

ICC Chief Executive, Geoff Allardice said: “We are delighted to release the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 schedule which is always a huge occasion ahead of any global event.”

“Hundreds of millions of fans around the world will be part of what we hope will be the greatest ever Men’s Cricket World Cup and we know in India the teams will enjoy a unique electric atmosphere concluding with the winners lifting the trophy in the biggest cricket stadium in the world in Ahmedabad.”

BCCI Secretary Jay Shah said: “It’s a matter of great honour and pride to be hosting the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in different cities across India, showcasing the rich diversity of our country.”

“The fervour and passion for cricket in India is unique. I am sure fans both here and abroad would be looking forward to the tournament’s return to India for the first time since 2011, when our team became the first to lift the trophy on home soil.”

“I wish all the teams the very best in their preparations and look forward to hosting what promises to be another exciting tournament.”