Ashes Breaks Ticket Record Amid Fan Frustration

The 2025-26 Men's Ashes series in Australia broke ticket sales records, with over 220,000 tickets sold on the opening day of pre-sale—almost double the previous record. More than twice as many fans registered for pre-sale compared to last summer’s series, highlighting massive demand, particularly for the Boxing Day Test at the MCG and the Gabba day-night Test. The unprecedented interest, rivaling major events like Taylor Swift concerts, caused widespread technical issues, including hours-long virtual queues and repeated disconnections. Cricket Australia staggered ticket releases across states to manage system overloads, but many fans, even with pre-sale codes, struggled to access tickets for the Ashes and other matches featuring South Africa and India. Matches are scheduled in every Australian state and territory, with the priority pre-sale running until June 12 before general sales begin on June 13. Cricket Australia acknowledged the technical difficulties and continued to urge fans to secure remaining tickets quickly.