Nearly 8.4 million ticket requests have been submitted for the group stage match between India and Pakistan at the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. The tournament will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
High Demand for Group Match and Final
The fierce rivals are scheduled to play each other on 10 October at the Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg, a venue with a capacity of just 34,000 spectators. The same venue will also host the tournament final on 21 November, which has driven the demand to nearly eight million ticket applications.
The tournament opener on 7 October will feature a repeat of the 2023 final, where Australia defeated India in Ahmedabad. While the fixture between India and Pakistan remains one of the most anticipated and lucrative matches in the sport, the rivalry has been heavily one-sided recently, with India claiming victory in their past nine encounters. Pakistan’s most recent win against India took place during the 2022 Asia Cup.
Tournament Format and Groups
In the group stage, Pakistan has been drawn alongside Australia, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and one qualifying team. Meanwhile, England is placed in the other group with South Africa, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and a second qualifier.
The top three teams from each group, along with the best fourth-placed finisher, will advance to the Super 7 stage. From there, the four leading teams will progress to the semi-finals.
