First batch of 2014 FIFA World Cup tickets sold out in 7 hours

ANKARA

The 2014 FIFA World Cup second “Random Draw” period’s nearly 230,000 tickets were sold just seven hours after being available on Monday, International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) said.

In the first “Random Draw” period, nearly 890,000 tickets were allocated, according to a statement released at FIFA’s website.

“Tickets were made available to purchase by fans around the world via FIFA.com. About 62 percent went to Brazilians and 38 percent to international fans. The top five ticket-purchasing nations were Brazil followed by the USA, Australia, England and Argentina”, FIFA said.

 “As expected, the level of interest was impressive, in fact four times greater than during the first sales window. The high number of applicants lead to some waiting time but overall the system worked well. It was great to see that both internationals and Brazilians were aiming to grab the remaining tickets from the first batch of tickets made available. This clearly shows the huge appeal of attending the FIFA World Cup live in Brazil,” explained FIFA’s Marketing Director Thierry Weil, who is responsible for ticketing.

 Fans looking to attend next year’s flagship football event will have further chances. “Further tickets for all 64 matches will be made available after the Final Draw as soon as the second sales phase kicks off on December 8, 2013, once the final match schedule for the group stage matches is known,” FIFA said.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international men's football tournament, that is scheduled to take place in Brazil from June 12 to July 13, 2014. The World Cup is among the world's most widely viewed sporting events.

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