Fifa says more than 1.5 million tickets have already been requested for next summer’s World Cup in Russia.
The milestone figure was reached with a week remaining of the first sales period, which runs until October 12.
The figure is considered encouraging for Fifa and World Cup organisers, with concerns having been expressed about demand following poor attendances at the Confederations Cup and perceived safety risks for travellers.
Despite only eight teams having so far qualified for Russia 2018, international fans have requested 30 per cent of all tickets. Fans can buy team-specific, venue-specific and individual match tickets.
Fifa officials said: “Brazilian, Mexican, Argentinian, US, German, Colombian, Chinese, Israeli and English fans all rank in the top 10, with more and more international fans expected to apply for tickets as teams continue to qualify.”
Around 90,000 tickets having already been requested for the opening game, which will take place between hosts Russia and an as-yet unknown opponent at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium on June 14, and more than 132,000 for the final in the same stadium on July 15.
During this sales period, it makes no difference whether fans submit their applications on day one, the last day or any time in between, as all applications will have the same chance of being successful.
“In cases where the number of tickets applied for exceeds the available inventory, tickets will be allocated by a random selection draw process,” said Fifa.
All applicants will be duly notified of the outcome of their requests by November 16.
Following the World Cup draw on December 1, sales phase two will comprise a random selection draw period from December 5 to 31 January 31, 2018 and a further first-come, first-served period from March 13 to April 3.
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