In the first round of sales that took place in January and February, when a total of 804,186 tickets were purchased.

In the most recent round of FIFA World Cup ticket sales, 23.5 million tickets were requested for the major sporting tournament, which takes place in Qatar in less than seven months.

There was ‘an enormous demand’ in applications from Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Mexico, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United States.

According to FIFA, the most popular games are the final on December 18 and some of the group games that have already been announced, which include: Argentina v Mexico, Argentina v Saudi Arabia, England v United States, and Poland v Argentina.

The World Cup tickets are divided into four main categories: Individual match tickets, Supporter tickets, Conditional supporter tickets, and the Four-Stadium ticket series.

When demand for a match exceeds the amount of available tickets, the requests will be put into a random lottery. From May 31 onwards, all successful applicants will be notified. Any remaining tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis to the general public.

In the first round of sales which took place in January and February, 804,186 tickets were purchased.

The demand for applications was higher over this 23-day period because it followed the World Cup draw on April 1, which revealed when and where each team will be playing.

Approximately two million tickets are available to the general public, with the remaining 1.2 million going to sponsors and other backers.

So far, 29 teams have qualified for the event out of a potential 32. New Zealand will meet Costa Rica in a playoff on June 14, and three more seats will be announced in June.

Qatar expects up to 1.4 million visitors for the first World Cup to be hosted in the region.

Ticket prices

Ticket prices are on average roughly 30% higher than they were for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. However, the most expensive tickets for the final costs more than $1,600, a 45% increase from 2018.

The hefty increase in costs for the FIFA showcase event contrasts with a cut in the cost of some tickets for the group stage, which fans can apply for online.

Category 2 tickets are 3,650 QAR ($1,003), up 41% from $710 for the 2018 final. Category 3 tickets, the cheapest available for international fans, are 2,200 QAR ($604), 33% more expensive than the $455 for 2018. The Category 4 final tickets for local residents went from $110 in 2018 to $206 this year.

The cheapest seats on general sale internationally to watch the host nation open the World Cup on Nov 21 increased 37% from $220 (2018) to $302. There is a rise of 13% for Category 2 tickets ($390 to $440) and a similar jump ($550 to $618) for the most expensive opening-game tickets.

Qatari residents can get tickets for other group stage matches for 40 QAR ($11), the lowest price for locals since the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. The cheapest tickets on international sale are 250 QAR ($69), the lowest since the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

The price of Category 1 tickets has increased slightly from $210 to $220, while Category 2 tickets will stay at $165.