Last World Cup Ticket Phase Begins; Stampede Expected
February 15, 2006
Everyone who has previously missed out or those who have waited for the last moment to bid for the chance to attend the global soccer spectacle in Germany this summer will storm the FIFA servers again from 12 midday UTC.
FIFA will be making an initial offering of tickets available with supplies being frequently updated through to the end of the phase on April 15. The demand is expected to be immense especially as the tickets will be handed out on a first come first served basis.
More tickets to become available during sales phase
"We have one significant difference compared to previous sales phases, the probability of more tickets becoming available later in the phase than at the beginning," Germany’s Organizing Committee (OK) Senior Vice-President Horst R. Schmidt told the official FIFA Web site.
"Our current priority is the conditional ticket program. Fans are advised to visit www.FIFAworldcup.com frequently, as the offer will be continuously updated."
By the end of February, some 30,000 tickets will have been allocated to participants in the conditional ticket program.
Last time's lucky winners notified this week
FIFA's ticketing staff notified the 61,000 applicants at the weekend who took out options on a total of 140,000 match tickets in the previous phase between November 2 and 30 2005.
"It is a pleasure to fulfill our pledge to conditional ticket program participants of a realistic, or indeed an excellent chance, of receiving a match ticket. Based on the current situation, we expect to allocate a further, significant block of tickets to the conditional ticket program," Schmidt predicted.