Sports

Highest number of spectators attend World Cup in India: ICC

ICC says attendance reached a historic high when over 90,000 fans attended India-Australia final

By Web Desk
November 21, 2023
The national flags of India (L) and Australia are displayed before the start of the 2023 ICC Mens Cricket World Cup final match between India and Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19, 2023. — AFP
The national flags of India (L) and Australia are displayed before the start of the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup final match between India and Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19, 2023. — AFP

The over-month-long World Cup in India has seen the highest number of spectators attended the event in the tournament's history as more than 1.2 million fans headed to the stadiums to cheer for their teams, said the International Cricket Council on Tuesday. 

According to the cricket's governing body, 1,250,307 fans attended the six-week tournament in India which culminated with Australia getting crowned as the world champions for a record sixth time.

Before this event, the highest number of attendees was recorded during the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand with 1,016,420 spectators attending the event. While the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales saw 752,000 fans attending the event.

The ICC said it was expecting the record to break once the “one-millionth patron attended the group stage match between South Africa and Afghanistan in Ahmedabad”. It added that the tournament reached a historic high when over 90,000 fans attended the final between India and Australia at the same stadium in Ahmedabad.

The ICC also said that the event in India also broke several broadcast and digital viewership records.

The mega event ended on Sunday with Australia shattering India's dream of winning another ICC tournament on their soil, as the Pat Cummins-led side triumphed over the hosts in the all-important World Cup 2023 final to secure their sixth ODI title.

Within two years, Australia have now won all three ICC trophies — T20 World Cup, World Test Championship and ODI World Cup — proving why they are the greatest cricketing nation without a single doubt.

Australia suffered a top-order wobble of their own but Travis Head's 137 off 120 balls saw them romp home with seven overs to spare in the match that never reached great heights.

With 93,000 predominantly Indian fans sat mostly in deathly silence as the Rohit Sharma-led side, who had won 10 matches in a row to make the final, succumbed to their first loss of the tournament in the all-important summit clash.