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Ticket fever is already gripping cricket fans worldwide, with more than a year remaining before the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, as demand for the India-Pakistan group-stage match has surpassed that for the final.
More than 120 million ticket applications have been received from around the world, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on its website on Monday.
The 14-team tournament will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia from October 2 to November 21 next year.
The India-Pakistan group-stage match, scheduled for October 10 at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, has attracted nearly 8.4 million ticket applications, surpassing the approximately 8 million applications for the final at the same venue on November 21.
The ticket ballot window will remain open until November 21. So far, around three million fans from 193 countries have registered for tickets, while more than 32 million match registrations have been completed, highlighting widespread interest beyond the high-profile fixtures.
The tournament will mark the return of the men’s 50-over World Cup to Africa after 24 years. The last edition hosted on the continent was held in 2003. A total of 57 matches will be played across 12 host cities.
South Africa, the United Kingdom, India, the United States and Australia are among the countries leading ticket registrations. More than 14.9 million applications have come from across Africa.
South Africa’s eight venues have received more than 105 million ticket applications for 41 matches. Of these, around 26 million applications are for matches involving the host nation.
In Zimbabwe, ticket applications have exceeded 13 million. More than 3.3 million applications have been received for the October 24 match between Zimbabwe and India at the new Mosi-oa-Tunya Stadium in Victoria Falls.
In Namibia, more than two million applications have been submitted for six matches at the Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek. The October 8 England-Bangladesh match has attracted nearly 900,000 applications.
Fans can register for tickets and select their preferred matches through the official website at tickets.cricketworldcup.com.
Those who fail to register during the ballot window will not be eligible for ticket allocation through the ballot after it closes.
Gaurav Saxena, ICC General Manager of Events and Operations, described the response to the 2027 World Cup as unprecedented.
He said the strong demand reflected the tournament’s global appeal and the significance of bringing the men’s 50-over World Cup back to African soil after 24 years.
