India-Pakistan match on record-high demand for the final

There is immense interest among cricket fans regarding the 2027 ODI World Cup. With just under three weeks remaining in the registration period for World Cup match tickets, 120 million applications have already been received from 193 countries.

According to the ICC, 2.8 million fans from 193 nations have applied for these 120 million tickets. The men’s ODI World Cup is returning to African soil after 24 years. So far, registrations have been completed for over 32 million match tickets, a clear indication that fans are interested not only in high-profile or major matches but in the tournament’s other fixtures as well.

The tournament, which will be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, will feature 14 teams. A total of 57 matches will be played across 12 cities in these three nations. Beyond cricket, spectators will have the opportunity to experience the diverse cultures and traditions of these three countries.

South Africa, the United Kingdom, India, the United States, and Australia lead the way in ticket lottery registrations. From the African continent alone, more than 14.9 million ticket applications have been submitted.

The clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan is the most anticipated match of the World Cup; naturally, it has drawn the highest number of ticket applications. The match is scheduled for October 10 next year at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, and it has received 8,397,294 applications. Meanwhile, the final, to be held at the same venue on November 21, has garnered 7,990,944 applications.

The volume of applications clearly shows that there is a higher demand for tickets to the India-Pakistan match than for the final itself.

For the 41 matches taking place across eight venues in South Africa, over 105 million ticket applications have been received. This includes approximately 26 million applications for the 11 matches involving South Africa, a tally that also encompasses the pre-scheduled 'Super Seven' stage matches.

In Zimbabwe, the number of ticket applications has surpassed 13 million. More than 3.3 million applications have been submitted for the India vs. Zimbabwe match, scheduled for October 24 at the new Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls.

Meanwhile, over 2 million spectators have requested tickets for the six matches to be held at the Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek, Namibia, with nearly 900,000 applications received for the England vs. Bangladesh match on October 8 alone.

-    NS