The final of the World Test Championship (WTC 2025) will be played between Australia and South Africa at The Lord’s in London from June 11-15. Australia are the defending champions, while South Africa qualified for their first WTC final.
The iconic Lord's Stadium in London will host the World Cup final for the first time in history, but the 'Home of Cricket' is expected to lose roughly £4 million in revenue because India failed to qualify for the summit battle.
Rohit Sharma-led Team India was favored to reach the third WTC Final in a row, but six defeats in the last eight matches saw them eliminated. India suffered a devastating 0-3 setback at home to New Zealand, followed by a 3-1 loss in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia under Pat Cummins.
This meant that the Marylebone Cricket Club, which runs the Lord’s Cricket Ground, would have to slash the prices of the tickets for the WTC 2025 final, as India failed to qualify.
“Organisers had originally priced tickets at a premium rate, believing India fan demand would outstrip supply, but the absence of India has significantly curtailed the financial windfall expected by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), underscoring the financial influence of Indian cricket across the global game,” The Times report stated.
“Anticipating India’s participation, Lord’s had originally priced tickets at premium rates, confident that the demand from Indian cricket supporters would outstrip supply. However, once it became clear that India would not feature in the final, MCC opted to lower ticket prices. The decision intended to prioritize a fuller, more vibrant stadium over the prospect of a sparsely populated ground with higher-priced seats," the report added.
Last year, the Marylebone Cricket Club faced widespread criticism for its exorbitant ticket prices, prompting them to announce a review of ticket pricing.
“The decision to be flexible with prices for the World Test Championship final was taken this year, with tickets now being sold at between £40 and £90—about £50 cheaper than they had originally been priced, accounting for the loss in revenue. MCC members who bought tickets before the price drop have been refunded the difference," The Times reported.
After the WTC 2025 final, the Lord’s will host the third Test of the India-England series that will be played from July 10 to 14.
