Fierce rivals India and Pakistan will meet in their first game of the T20 World Cup in October 24.
The schedule for the tournament in the United Arab Emirates and Oman was confirmed on Tuesday, with the final taking place in Dubai on November 14.
Pakistan and India will do battle in their opening Super12 Group 2 match at 6pm local time.
New Zealand will get their bid for glory under way against Pakistan in Sharjah two days later, while Afghanistan begin their campaign on 25 October against a qualifier
Holders West Indies play England in a repeat of the dramatic 2016 final in debut on October 23, the same day as Group 1 rivals Australia face South Africa in Abu Dhabi.
The opening game of the competition will see co-hosts Oman come up against Papua New Guinea in Group B on October 17, with Scotland and Bangladesh in action on the same day.
A first semi-final will take place in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and the second will be staged in Dubai the following day.
Get ready for the cricket carnival
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) August 17, 2021
The fixtures for the ICC Men's #T20WorldCup 2021 – Super 12 pic.twitter.com/7q4vqNibHR