Nearly 8.4 Million Ticket Requests for India v Pakistan at 2027 World Cup

Nearly 8.4 million ticket requests have been made for the India v Pakistan group match at the 2027 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, BBC Sport reports. The game is set for 10 October at Johannesburg's Wanderers Stadium, which holds 34,000 spectators. Demand for those seats is far above what the ground can hold.

The tournament is being co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. It opens on 7 October with a repeat of the 2023 final, in which Australia beat India in Ahmedabad. A group match is one of the round-robin games that all teams play before the knockout stage begins.

The interest does not stop with the India and Pakistan fixture. Almost eight million applications have been made for the final on 21 November, also at the Wanderers. The ICC has described these as ballot applications, meaning requests go into a draw for seats rather than being filled first come, first served. The ICC has framed the rush of requests as "CWC27 fever", a phrase it used in a news article on its website.

The rivalry itself gives the fixture much of its pull. India have won their past nine meetings against Pakistan. Pakistan's most recent win over India came in the 2022 Asia Cup, a regional tournament played in T20 format, the short version of the game where each side bats for 20 overs.

For fans planning a trip, the numbers point to a crowded race for tickets. The Wanderers has room for 34,000 people, and the requests far exceed that figure. Anyone who applies should expect the ballot to be competitive.

Whatever happens in the draw, the tournament now has a clear shape. The opener, the India and Pakistan match and the final all fall within a few weeks of each other, and each has already drawn a large crowd of applicants before a ball has been bowled.