The International Cricket Council has revealed staggering demand for the upcoming Cricket World Cup in South Africa, reporting that the group stage encounter between India and Pakistan has generated 8.4 million ticket applications. This figure officially surpasses the demand for the tournament final, which is scheduled for November 21, by nearly 400,000 requests. According to the International Cricket Council (ICC), It has received nearly 8.5 million ticket requests for a group stage match between India and Pakistan at next year’s Cricket World Cup in South Africa.
Scheduled for October 10 at the Wanderers cricket ground in Johannesburg, the match between the two South Asian rivals continues a tradition of being the tournament’s most highly sought-after ticket. While the final trails with approximately eight million requests, the India-Pakistan clash remains the primary draw for global fans. The South Asian neighbours will meet at the Wanderers cricket ground in Johannesburg during the initial round-robin-style phase of the tournament. According to a World Cup cricket match between the South Asian rivals traditionally draws the highest ticket requests, barring the final, but the demand for the October 10 match has surpassed that for the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup, the sport’s global governing body, On Monday.
Total ticket requests for the tournament reached 120 million by Sunday, sourced from 2.8 million unique accounts across 193 nations. Leading the registration numbers are fans from South Africa, the United Kingdom, India, the United States, and Australia, while African fans contributed 14.9 million of the total applications.
The tournament, featuring 57 matches across 12 venues in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, runs from October 7 to November 21, 2027. This event marks the return of the Cricket World Cup to Africa for the first time since 2003, when South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya served as co-hosts. The World Cup will return to Africa for the first time in 24 years.
Participating nations are divided into two groups for the competition. Group A includes Australia, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and one qualifier. Group B consists of New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, England, Bangladesh, and a second qualifier.
The tournament structure allows for the possibility of multiple meetings between India and Pakistan, including in the Super Seven stage or the final. The current group stage fixture was determined through a closed-door ballot, a consistent practice for the fourth consecutive 50-over World Cup.
For Namibia, this event is historic as it marks their first time staging matches for the men’s ICC Cricket World Cup. Zimbabwe is also set to feature its new stadium at Victoria Falls as part of the expanded regional hosting effort.
The online ticketing ballot, which opened on October 1, will remain active until November 21. Fans are hoping to replicate the atmosphere of previous historic matches in the region, including the 2003 final at the Wanderers and the inaugural 2007 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, where India secured a dramatic win over Pakistan. An online ballot for tickets opened on October 1 and will close at midnight Central African Time (22:00 GMT) on November 21.
Historical context for the region includes Australia’s 2003 victory over India by 125 runs at the Wanderers, and their 2009 success at the ICC Champions Trophy held at Centurion’s SuperSport Park.
