Champions Trophy: Millions can't wait to watch classic faceoff between titans India, Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday

It is a sports rivalry like no other in the world.

When India and Pakistan face off in Dubai on Sunday, the cricket contest will be amped up by the patriotic zeal of hundreds of millions of people.

Cricket-mad nations India and Pakistan are competing in the game’s 50-over format for the coveted eight-nation Champions Trophy tournament that began on Wednesday in Pakistan.

While six national teams have travelled to Pakistan for the tournament, India has refused to go there by leveraging its strong influence on International Cricket Council, the game's global governing body.

Indian cricket authorities have offered no formal statement about refusing to play in Pakistan, but some officials have suggested that the decision was based on security concerns.

India will play all its matches – including the one against Pakistan – at a neutral venue in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

In both India and Pakistan, cricket has become a symbol of national identity and every clash grabs the attention of more than a billion fans.

Sporting relations inevitably ebb and flow with the politics. Bilateral cricket ties have remained suspended since 2008, and the two national teams have only played each other in global events where they are always paired together in a group to ensure there is a contest between them.

Even though the Indian team has not travelled to Pakistan since 2008, Pakistan played in India in 2023 during the World Cup, including before a huge crowd at a cricket stadium named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Sharda Ugra, an Indian sports writer, says while the fans of the two countries are eager to watch the two nations play more often, the contest "has been held hostage to ugly politics.”

Greater than the Super Bowl 

In sheer numbers, viewership for the India-Pakistan match dwarfs the Super Bowl in what Ugra calls the "greatest sports rivalry in the world” bar none.

When the two sides played against each other in 2023 in India, the estimated viewership – on cable television and streaming services – was around 400 million. In comparison, this year’s Super Bowl averaged 127.7 million across all platforms in the US.

Organisers expect similar numbers for Sunday’s contest that will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. And it's a guaranteed windfall as tickets for the game sold out within minutes while billion-dollar broadcast deals have been hammered out.

Media in both the countries are cashing in too. Pakistani and Indian TV news channels are providing wall-to-wall coverage. In recent weeks, TV commercials in both countries used patriotic fervour to poke fun at each other.

Chicken biryani, French fries to spice up match 

Local authorities and private companies in both the countries have announced that they would set up giant screens in some city centres and inside shopping malls.

For many fans, this clash holds more value than any other sporting event in the world – and they want more of it.

In India’s western city of Mumbai, cricket coach Anil Sawant plans to watch the game at a clubhouse along with his friends on a giant screen.

"These matches should take place often,” 57-year-old Sawant said, as his students honed their skills during practice at the city’s Shivaji Park ground – a favourite for cricketers of all ages.

Mohammad Ahmed, a 27-year-old accountant, has also planned to host seven of his friends at his home in Pakistan’s Rawalpindi city. All of them will watch the game on a big screen and he plans to serve them special chicken biryani.

"And of course French fries and soft drinks will be on the menu too,” Ahmed said with a smile.