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Rio de Janeiro, Aug 22 (IANS)
Spectators watch an exhibition soccer game at Maracana Stadium, also known as the Mario Filho Stadium, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday, April 27, 2013. Photographer: Dado Galdieri/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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FIFA says more than 2.3 million fans have applied to attend next year’s World Cup in the first two days of ticket sales.
Some 1.9 million requests came from Brazil, 207,000 from Argentina and 50,000 from the United States, FIFA said Wednesday, reports Xinhua.
The most sought-after game is the tournament opener in Sao Paulo June 12 with 372,000 requests. The match will feature Brazil against a yet to be determined opponent. The final here July 13 has received 340,000 requests.
Almost one million tickets will be available during the first phase of sales which closes Oct 10. Successful applicants will then be drawn from a lottery.
FIFA marketing director Thierry Weil advised fans to apply during the first phase to avoid higher demand after the World Cup draw is announced Dec 6. He added that each of the tournament’s 12 stadiums were on track to be ready by FIFA’s Dec 31 deadline.
