'Empty Stadium For Very First Match': Netizens Question Lack Of Spectators In Ahmedabad For ENG vs NZ World Cup Opener

The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is the biggest venue in international cricket and is hosting the opening match of the ICC World Cup 2023 between England and New Zealand.

The stadium can accommodate 1,32,000 spectators but hardly any were seen as the tournament opened to a lukewarm response, despite the BCCI claiming that all tickets have been sold out.

Empty stands at the stadium drew sharp responses from netizens on social media with a lot of them pointing out the lack of interest among fans for this game and questioning India as a venue for a big tournament like the World Cup.

Notably, the stadium is so big that even if it is 10% full, there will be around 13,200 people in the stands which is the average crowd at international matches.

Another factor could be the heat with the current temperature at around 34 degrees Celsius right now. The stadium is likely to fill up towards the evening when the temperatures drop.

There isn't much overhead cover for the spectators which is probably why the stands are empty right now but might fill up when the Sun goes down.