The second ticket sale is expected to kick off later this year, prior to the final draw in April.

Excitement from eager football fans across the globe reaches an all-time high as Qatar records 17 million FIFA World Cup 2022 ticket requests in just the first sales phase, which concluded on Tuesday.

In just 20 days since the first phase kicked off on 19 January, millions all over the world rushed to FIFA’s website to test their luck and get their hands on the first tickets to be issued ahead of the tournament.

In comparison to the number of ticket requests during the first phase for Russia 2018, in which the former FIFA World Cup hosts and largest country in the world recorded 3,496,204 ticket requests, this year’s first phase sales eclipses that number by 385%.

The large numbers could be attributed to the affordable prices — the cheapest since Mexico ’86 — and the different categories tailored for fans’ needs.

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Despite the showcase matches being relatively more pricey, the most sought-after match in requests is the grand finale, which is set to take place on 18 December with 1.8 million ticket requests alone.

During the first phase for Russia 2018, the country recorded 300,000 tickets for the closing match—a stark difference to the numbers this year.

Host country Qatar registered the highest application requests, followed by Mexico, USA, UAE, England, India, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and France, according to FIFA.

Meanwhile, for Russia, international demand accounted for more than 30% with Germany coming second after then hosts Russia, followed by Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, the US, Colombia, Egypt and China.

Which countries have applied for most World Cup tickets so far?

What is the process?

Typically, phase one includes a random selection draw process before the teams are known. All successful, partially successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified by email with the result of the selection process on Tuesday, 8 March 2022.

“If demand for a given match and/or ticket category exceeds the available ticket inventory for the domestic or international market, (a) random selection draw(s) will take place to determine which applicants are allocated tickets,” FIFA said on its website.

FIFA Ticketing is yet to announce the timing of the first-come, first-served sales phase, which will enable fans to purchase the tickets in real-time with immediate confirmation of successful applications.

To date, 15 out of the 32 countries have qualified for the grand tournament. Qualification matches will continue this year until the intercontinental play-offs.

The opening match will kick-off on 21 November, 2022, at Al Bayt Stadium.

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