The first phase of ticket sales closes on March 21, 2005. By midnight on March 22, 3,945,487 tickets had been requested in 545,404 separate orders placed on the official website since February 1.
“The demand for World Cup tickets has exceeded our expectations by far,” said FIFA General Secretary Urs Linsi.
Approximately 85 per cent of orders have come from Germany, with the remaining 15 per cent spread across the rest of the world. Reservations have been received from 191 different countries.
People may still place orders via FIFAworldcup.com without being at any disadvantage, as tickets are not issued on a first-come, first-served basis during this, the first of five ticketing phases.
All orders will be placed together and, as demand will greatly exceed supply, the German organising committee will conduct an electronic ballot on April 15, 2005.
