Nine months before the deadline, FIFA is rubbing its hands and is already rolling.
The first phase of ticket sales for the World Cup in Qatar, which will take place at the end of the year (November 21-December 18), ended on Tuesday.
During this, 17 million requests from all over the world were made, FIFA said.
The most coveted match is logically the final, on December 18 at Lusail Stadium.
It alone concentrated 1.8 million requests.
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
“Qatari residents make up the bulk of this total, reached in just 20 days.
Countless inquiries also came in from strongholds and other key markets in world football, including England, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, United States, France, India and Mexico,” Fifa said in a statement.
As all requests cannot be satisfied, given the capacity of the stadiums, the football body will communicate the result of these applications on March 8, as well as the steps to follow and the deadline for payment of the tickets allocated.
Until then, subject to availability, the schedule for the next phase of sales, on a first-come, first-served basis, will be communicated by the body's ticketing service.
Ticket sales began on Wednesday January 19 with lower prices than in previous editions, according to the International Federation.
Fifa, perhaps in an attempt to restore the image of a competition where the dates but also the methods of construction of the stadiums have been disputed, plays the card of a World Cup more financially accessible than previous editions.
Prices starting at €61 per seat
A lottery system allows spectators from all walks of life to buy tickets for a price starting at 61 euros, around a third less than those sold for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The price of a sesame for the final can however reach 1,422 euros.
The organizers have not yet announced how many spectators will be admitted to the stadiums amid uncertainties linked to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Residents of Qatar and migrant workers, whose treatment has been a source of controversy, can buy tickets for 10 euros.
The final draw for the matches of the first World Cup hosted in an Arab country is supposed to take place in early April, with Fifa hinting in its statement on Tuesday that it could be held on April 1.