Almost 8.4 million requests for India v Pakistan World Cup group match

Nearly 8.4 million requests have been lodged for tickets to the India v Pakistan group-stage match at the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, scheduled for 10 October at Johannesburg’s Wanderers stadium.

The 2027 tournament is being co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Wanderers has a capacity of 34,000 spectators. The tournament opener on 7 October will be a repeat of the 2023 final, which saw Australia stun India in Ahmedabad.

India v Pakistan is regarded as one of the most highly-anticipated fixtures in the cricket calendar and the most lucrative financially. The fixture has been one-sided in recent meetings: India have recorded nine successive wins. Pakistan’s last victory over India came in the 2022 Asia Cup.

The same Wanderers venue will also stage the final on 21 November, which has generated almost eight million ticket applications. They are in a group with Australia, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and a qualifier. England join South Africa, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and another qualifier.

The top three teams, plus the best fourth-placed finisher, from the two groups progress to the Super 7 stage. From there, the top four teams will qualify for the semi-finals.