Fans have already purchased 2.3 million tickets for 2014 FIFA World Cup as ticket sales ran into the second lottery-style sales phase, world soccer governing body FIFA has revealed.
Almost 10 million pre-bookings have been made by fans from 228 countries and regions since sales began in August last year.
They are being sold on lottery-style basis currently.
Supporters in Brazil have acquired the most tickets with 906,000, followed by the US(125,000), Colombia (60,000), Germany (56,000) and Argentina (54,000), reported Xinhua.
“We have a very high demand for tickets,†FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke said at a press conference.
“There’s a very high demand from overseas fans.â€
Seven of the tournament’s 64 matches are already sold out: the final, England-Italy, US-Portugal, quarterfinals in Porto Alegre and Sao Paulo and the semifinal in Belo Horizonte.
An additional 159,000 tickets will be made available on a first-come-first-served basis March 12.
Stadium Work in Progress:
Meanwhile, FIFA has stepped up pressure on Brazil’s World Cup organisers, warning a “lot of work†must be done for stadiums to be ready on time.
Speaking after a board meeting of the tournament’s local organising committee, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke urged against complacency ahead of the June 12-July 13 event, reports Xinhua.
“We are far beyond the normal speed limit you can have on the road and this will be the case until June,†Valcke said. “We are working at full speed.â€
Only eight of Brazil’s 12 World Cup stadiums have officially opened despite a December 2013 construction deadline imposed by FIFA.
Stadiums still under development are Arena da Baixada in Curitiba, the Itaquerao in Sao Paulo, Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba and Arena da Amazonia in Manaus. (IANS)