On Tuesday, FIFA said that it has been inundated with requests for 17 million tickets for the World Cup finals in the first round of sales.
Fans across the🗺️ applied for 17 million tickets🎟️ during 1st sales period of the⚽️ #WorldCup 🇶🇦 2022. 1.8 million tickets were requested for the final match at Lusail🏟️. Find out🔎more on https://t.co/sool5M7CPG➡️ https://t.co/0UUCScwRBR pic.twitter.com/iOrIyuqPuD
— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) February 8, 2022
The demand came highest from the Qatar hosts of the tournament in November-December but it has been deluged with requests from Argentina, Brazil, India, England, France, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, The UAE, and the USA.
The world body said that some 1.8 million tickets were searched just for the final which is scheduled to be held in 80,000 seat Lusail stadium in Doha on December 18.
For the first World Cup in an Arab country, just over two million tickets will be available in all.
FIFA, which hopes to make more than $500 million from tickets, broadcasting rights, and other World Cup commercial revenues, said fans who became successful in a computer lottery would be told by March 8.
Application for tickets had begun on January 19 and been closed on Tuesday. FIFA said that it will check the applications before tickets are allocated.
The world body said that it would decide upon the timings of a first-come, first-served phase of ticket sales depending on what is still available.
FIFA 2022 will start from November 21 to December 18 in Qatar and will consist of 32 teams.