Fans turned up in huge numbers for World Cup 2023© AFP
The Cricket World Cup 2023 lived up to the expectation of becoming one of the biggest ICC events in the sport’s history. A record 1.25 million fans attended matches during the 13th edition of the World Cup, which concluded on Sunday with Australia beating hosts India for their sixth title, global body the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Tuesday. A whopping total of 1,250,307 fans watched the 45-day showpiece event from the stands, surpassing the previous mark of 1.016 million set at the 2015 edition in Australia and New Zealand.
While the early matches not involving runners-up India had plenty of empty seats in venues, overall spectator figures had already surpassed the one million mark with six games to go.
ICC Head of Events Chris Tetley said the one-day international (ODI) tournament had been a “great success.”
“The staggering attendance demonstrates the enduring appeal of cricket and excitement the ODI format continues to offer,” Tetley said in a statement, adding that the tournament also broke multiple broadcast and digital viewership records.
“It has been an event that has not only entertained but also united cricket fans globally in a celebration of the sport.”
The final alone saw about 100,000 fans in attendance, with most of them dressed in blue in support of the Indian team. The crowd’s support, however, didn’t quite affect the result of the game, with Australia emerging triumphant by 6 wickets in the match.
Chasing a target of 241 runs, the Aussies rode on Travis Head‘s century to take home the ODI World Cup title for the 6th time in their history.
With Reuters inputs
Topics mentioned in this article