India-Pakistan Rivalry Outpulls Final in Cricket World Cup Ticket Demand
Nearly 8.5 million requests were logged for the Johannesburg group stage match, surpassing interest in the tournament's closing event.
By Andrew Hayes ·
The 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup is scheduled to take place across South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, with the schedule running from October 7 to November 21. The International Cricket Council announced on Monday that ticket demand for a specific group stage fixture has exceeded expectations for the entire tournament.
The match between India and Pakistan, set for October 10 at the Wanderers cricket ground in Johannesburg, has generated 8.4 million ticket requests. This figure places the group stage clash ahead of the tournament final, which is also scheduled for Johannesburg on November 21 and has received nearly eight million requests.
The ICC noted that this rivalry has historically drawn the highest participation outside of the championship game. For the fourth consecutive 50-over World Cup, the governing body has placed the two South Asian rivals in the same group through a closed-door ballot. This practice differs from other major global sporting events where groupings are often determined by rankings or open draws.
The tournament features 12 nations divided into two groups of six. Group A includes Australia, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and a qualifier. Group B consists of New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, England, Bangladesh, and a qualifier. The teams in Group A will play in a round-robin format during the initial phase, with a potential second meeting in the Super Seven stage and a third in the final if both advance.
The online ballot for tickets opened on October 1 and will close at midnight Central African Time on November 21. Total requests from 2.8 million unique fan accounts across 193 countries surpassed 120 million on Sunday. Applications from South Africa, the United Kingdom, India, the United States, and Australia lead the registration numbers, while fans from Africa contributed 14.9 million applications.
The 57 matches will be distributed among 12 venues. Namibia will host men's World Cup games for the first time, and Zimbabwe will feature its new stadium in Victoria Falls. This marks the return of the World Cup to Africa after 24 years, with the previous edition held in 2003. The 2003 tournament saw Australia defeat India by 125 runs in the final at the Wanderers, the same venue selected for this year's high-demand match.
