World Cup organisers are banking on ‘‘big crowds’’ and the ACT Government believes the full house sign can go up at Manuka Oval for all three Canberra games in the one-day tournament in 2015.
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That confidence comes on the back of affordable ticket prices revealed on Wednesday - adult tickets start as low as $20 and children’s tickets are capped at $5.
Canberra will host six countries under lights in 14 days, including South Africa, the West Indies and the historic appearance of Afghanistan.
The 50-over World Cup debutants open their account against Bangladesh on February 18, followed by group games involving the West Indies and Zimbabwe (February 24) and South Africa and Ireland (March 3).
International Cricket Council Cricket World Cup 2015 chief executive John Harnden expected Canberra fans to make the most of seeing the once-in-a-generation event.
‘‘We’re expecting big crowds in Canberra to all three games,’’ Harnden said.
‘‘We’ve consistently said this event is about the fans and it’s about families, and we want everyone to come along and be a part of it.
‘‘I’d like to think we’d get close to [a sell-out] in Canberra.’’
The most expensive tickets to the Bangladesh v Afghanistan game are $30 for an adult, dropping to $20 for the Category B and general admission sections.
A children’s ticket is $5 for every section.
The adult price rises slightly to $40 for Category A and $30 for Category B for the remaining two games in Canberra.
Redevelopment work on Manuka Oval to replace the playing surface and add extra seating will be completed within the next two weeks.
The capacity of the ground will be 14,000 people for cricket and 15,700 for AFL games.
Territory Venues general manager Neale Guthrie hoped to see sell-out crowds for all three World Cup games, given the ticket prices and the teams on show.
‘‘Now the ticket prices have been released there’s no reason these games can’t go to capacity,’’ Mr Guthrie said.
‘‘The prices are very competitive and have made it very affordable for families.
‘‘It’ll be the biggest sporting event in the world in 2015.’’
Cricket ACT chief executive Mark Vergano believed the combination of the ground upgrades and the ticket prices would deliver a sell-out not only for the World Cup games, but also the Prime Minister’s XI match against England on January 14.
‘‘That’s always our objective with England touring and people are already well engaged with it,’’ Vergano said.
‘‘We’re already seeing good spikes in sales as we get closer to the first Test.’’
Tickets to all World Cup games, including the final, go on sale to the general public on February 14 next year.
Australia and England will open the 2015 World Cup on Saturday, February 14 at the MCG, with adult tickets ranging from $40-$150.
Tickets to the final on March 29 at the MCG are between $125-$395.
Fans can register their interest to receive tickets before the general public at www.cricketworldcup.com.
