Champions Trophy 2025: Extra India-Pakistan match tickets sell out swiftly
What's the story
The upcoming Champions Trophy match between India and Pakistan in Dubai has created an unprecedented buzz among cricket fans.
The high-profile encounter will be played on Sunday, February 23. It is expected that the match could set new records in terms of viewership and attendance.
The first batch of tickets for the India vs Pakistan clash was sold out within minutes after sales opened on February 3.
And now, extra tickets have been sold out within hours.
Ticket rush
ICC releases additional tickets due to high demand
Responding to the massive demand, the International Cricket Council (ICC) released another batch of tickets on February 16.
These too were quickly grabbed by enthusiastic fans within hours of their release.
The ICC had said that sales would begin at 1:30pm IST and by 3pm all additional tickets were sold out according to the official booking platform.
Availability
Tickets for other matches remain available
Despite the rush for India vs Pakistan match tickets, those for other games including India vs New Zealand and the first semi-final were still available as of Sunday afternoon.
The starting price for these tickets was AED 250.
This shows that while there is a lot of interest in the tournament overall, the India-Pakistan encounter has drawn a particularly high level of fan attention.
Venue change
India's Champions Trophy matches shifted to Dubai
India have opted against playing their matches in Pakistan, the official host of the Champions Trophy, citing security concerns. Consequently, their matches have been shifted to Dubai.
The 2013 champions will begin their campaign on February 20 against Bangladesh before facing arch-rivals and defending champions Pakistan on Sunday, February 23.
Their last league match against New Zealand is on Sunday, March 2.
Historical rivalry
India-Pakistan matches: A history of sell-out crowds
India vs Pakistan clashes have always been sell-out at ICC events. Their 2023 World Cup match at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium saw over 100,000 fans, making it one of the biggest cricket match crowds.
The two teams last met in New York during their T20 World Cup 2024 match.
In the Champions Trophy, they have met five times with Pakistan winning three of them, including the last one—the 2017 final in London.
Record
Pakistan's track record in Champions Trophy and H2H vs India
Pakistan are the defending champions of the Champions Trophy, having won the last edition by thrashing India. They have an upper hand over India in the tournament, having won three out of five matches.
Meanwhile, in ODIs, India and Pakistan have faced each other in 135 matches.
Out of these 135 games, India have won 57 whereas Pakistan have come out victorious on 73 occasions. Five matches ended without a result.