The Cricket World Cup is taking place in India during October and November, with England aiming to defend their crown.

Here is everything you need to know about the competition.

Where is the Cricket World Cup?

The World Cup is being hosted in India for the fourth time.

The host cities are Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamsala, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune.

The competition will conclude with the final on Sunday, November 19 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, which boasts a new 100,000-seat arena.

Who is taking part in the Cricket World Cup?

Ten countries are compting in the Cricket World Cup.

As hosts, India were guaranteed a place in the competition and they are joined by the other seven teams to finish in the top eight of the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League, contested between 2020 and 2023.

Those seven nations are Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa.

The other two spots were filled during a qualifying competition in June and July of this year.

Sri Lanka and the Netherlands were victorious, meaning that former champions the West Indies will not take part in the World Cup for the first time.

What is the format of the Cricket World Cup?

The teams form one big group and will all play each other once in a round-robin format.

After nine matches each, the top four will progress to the semi-finals. The No1 outfit will play the fourth-placed side, while second will take on third.

The winners of those games will meet in the final.

This format was introduced for the 2019 World Cup and will be scrapped for the 2027 edition to allow more teams to compete and increase the chances of a less-fancied nation reaching the latter stages.

When are the Cricket World Cup group-stage fixtures?

The World Cup group stage got underway on Thursday, October 5 as reigning champions England took on New Zealand in a repeat of the 2019 final.

There is at least one match every single day until Sunday, November 11 when the group stage is completed with India's fixture against the Netherlands.

India will take on Pakistan in Ahmedabad on Saturday, October 14 while England play Australia in the same stadium on Saturday, November 4.

When are the Cricket World Cup knockout fixtures?

The World Cup semi-finals will take place on Wednesday, November 15 in Mumbai and Thursday, November 16 in Kolkata.

The two winners will then contest the final on Sunday, November 19 in Ahmedabad.

Who won the last World Cup?

The current World Cup holders are England, who won the 2019 competition in dramatic style against New Zealand at Lord's.

Considered arguably the greatest cricket match of all time, Eoin Morgan's side eventually won on the boundary countback law after a tied Super Over.

That victory ensured that the host nation has won each of the last three World Cups — a run that extends back to India's 2011 triumph the last time it was played on their home soil.