ICC World Cup 2023: Fans Disappointed With Empty Stadium in Ahmedabad for Opener

#CWC23 | Fans were disappointed to see an empty stadium on the opening match of cricket's biggest event.

The ICC World Cup 2023 kick-started at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday, 5 October, with the two finalists of the last edition, England and New Zealand crossing paths again.

However, the match did not live up to the hype associated with cricket's biggest event, as the largest cricket ground in the world looked empty on the day of the tournament opener. The stadium was not even half-filled, causing people to raise questions over the distributions of tickets.

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Here's how fans reacted:

Where are the crowds?

The #CWC23 begins with an empty stadium.

What a shame for a country where cricket is a “religion”. pic.twitter.com/PbPDRm1xS4

— Pankaj Pachauri (@PankajPachauri) October 5, 2023

These pictures are looking so ugly, completely empty stadium just before the first ball 👀
This is actually so, so bad! They ruined the first World Cup match. Not sure why they gave this match to Gujarat's state which has no cricket culture 🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️ #CricketWorldCup2023 #CWC23 pic.twitter.com/bhm7jDuhPA

— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) October 5, 2023

Currently, the stadium in Ahmedabad looks empty for the World Cup opener. Hope it gets gradually filled up after office hours.pic.twitter.com/VsBCZahnwg

— Trendulkar (@Trendulkar) October 5, 2023

-Empty stadium in IND vs PAK in Asia Cup.
-Empty stadium in ENG vs NZ in World Cup opener.

Is the ODI Cricket dying faster than we thought?#ENGvsNZ pic.twitter.com/U597j6TWs8

— Himanshu Pareek (@Sports_Himanshu) October 5, 2023

Completely empty stadium for the first match of the ICC Cricket World Cup.

Thoughts on why this is the case? pic.twitter.com/YnPebr75lg

— Sensei Kraken Zero (@YearOfTheKraken) October 5, 2023

What a poor start to the World Cup. A near empty stadium at Ahmedabad. An opening ceremony that never happened. Last minute release of tickets. No buzz. Already this World Cup has the makings of a disaster. #CricketWorldCup

— Sumanth Raman (@sumanthraman) October 5, 2023

I know India rightly wants to show off its new jewel in Ahmedabad, but holding the first game of the World Cup, one that doesn't involve the hosts, in a 134,000 capacity stadium is a little baffling. #icccricketworldcup2023 pic.twitter.com/wpdYyHqIIR

— Emmet Riordan (@emmetrd) October 5, 2023