Hundreds of Pakistan vs India Asia Cup tickets unsold due to hot weather

Hundreds of tickets for today's much-anticipated Asia Cup 2025 clash between Pakistan and India in Dubai remained unsold just hours before the start of play, a rare sight for a fixture between the two archrivals.

Tickets are still available in three stands and one hospitality section on the tournament’s official ticketing portal.

Seats in the premium stand, priced at $205, along with tickets in the east and west pavilion stands costing $245, were listed in significant numbers. Even in the high-end hospitality section, where tickets are sold for $1,645, availability was reported.

Neither the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) nor the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) has commented on the unsold tickets. However, local residents point to the weather as a likely deterrent.

“September is one of the hottest months in this part of the world, with high temperatures and extreme humidity, making it difficult to be outdoors even in the evenings,” Shahid Khan, a Dubai resident, said as quoted by Al Jazeera.

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“While players may get paid to play in this weather, fans have to spend large amounts of money to purchase tickets. Why would they do that to suffer in the heat?” he added.

The forecast for Sunday evening is 36°C (95°F), with humidity levels around 50 percent, creating challenging conditions for spectators.

Cricket analysts say strained political ties between India and Pakistan, including a four-day military escalation in May, may also be discouraging fans from attending what has traditionally been one of the sport’s most sought-after contests.