The ballot for the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup has drawn a staggering 15,083,752 ticket applications within just 12 days of opening, the ICC has announced.
The figure is backed by 4,423,417 ballot registrations from fans in 142 countries. Demand has surged from around one million applications last week, underlining the scale of anticipation for the tournament.
A tournament returning to Africa
The 14th edition of the World Cup returns to Africa for the first time in 24 years. It will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia under a new format.
ICC Chief Executive Sanjog Gupta said the extraordinary demand reflects both the stature of the event and the appeal of Africa as a destination for travelling fans — the continent’s flagship series this winter has been Australia’s Test tour of South Africa.
The ballot closes at 11:59pm Central African Time on November 21, 2026, exactly one year before the final at the Wanderers in Johannesburg. Entry to the ballot is free, with one entry allowed per person per match, though fans can apply for multiple fixtures. Matches that are oversubscribed will be decided by a randomised ballot.
How the ballot works
The system is designed to be fair but it rewards the organised. Fans register once, then apply for the fixtures they want. With more than 15 million applications already lodged and the ballot open for several more weeks, the most in-demand games (the final, the semi-finals and the big group clashes) are certain to be oversubscribed many times over.
For those matches, a randomised draw decides who gets tickets. Applying early brings no advantage in the draw itself, but it guarantees a place in it. Fans who wait risk missing the window entirely.
A tournament 24 years in the making
The 2027 edition is the 14th Men’s Cricket World Cup and the first to be staged in Africa since 2003. South Africa will host the bulk of the matches, with Zimbabwe and Namibia staging group games, a spread that gives the tournament a genuinely continental feel.
The new format groups twelve teams into two pools of six, with Pakistan drawn in Group A alongside Australia, India, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and one qualifier. Group B comprises Bangladesh, England, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, South Africa and one qualifier. The main round begins on October 7 with Australia taking on India in Cape Town.
Pakistan’s road
For Pakistani fans, the group draw offers mouth-watering fixtures. Pakistan are in Group A alongside Australia, India, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and one qualifier, and the draw comes as Pakistan’s white-ball sides are hitting strong form — good omens for a tournament a year away. They open their campaign against Afghanistan on October 8 and face arch-rivals India in Johannesburg on October 10.
Group B comprises Bangladesh, England, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, South Africa and one qualifier. The main round begins on October 7 with Australia taking on India in Cape Town.
With demand already at 15 million and rising, fans hoping to follow a Pakistan side that sealed a 2-0 T20I series win over Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi will need luck in the ballot. Ticket mania has already gripped home fans: Lahore-leg tickets for the ODI tri-series went on sale online today — and the World Cup ballot looks set to be one of the most competitive in the tournament’s history.
*Source: Geo Super*
