Nearly 8.4 million ticket requests have been made for the group stage match between India and Pakistan at the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, which South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia are co-hosting.
The rivals meet on 10 October at Johannesburg’s Wanderers stadium, which holds just 34,000 spectators. The same venue will host the final on 21 November, and the two fixtures have together generated almost eight million ticket applications.
Tournament opener and groups
The tournament opens on 7 October with a repeat of the 2023 final, in which Australia stunned India in Ahmedabad.
India v Pakistan is one of the most anticipated fixtures in the cricket calendar and the most lucrative financially. Recent meetings have been one-sided, however, with India winning their past nine encounters. Pakistan’s last win over India came in the 2022 Asia Cup.
Pakistan are in a group with Australia, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and a qualifier. England are in the other group alongside South Africa, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and another qualifier.
Route to the semi-finals
The top three teams from each group, plus the best fourth-placed finisher, progress to the Super 7 stage. From there, the top four teams will qualify for the semi-finals.