Over 1.3 million tickets already sold for 2018 FIFA World Cup

Fans have purchased 1,303,616 tickets for 2018 FIFA World Cup, with 568,448 distributed during the second sales phase from 5 December to 31 January, and 735,168 - during the first sales phase. Buyers will receive their tickets before the start of the tournament — in April or May.

Since the requests for tickets exceeded the available supply, sales were allocated based on a random selection draw carried out in the presence of a public notary. 197,832 tickets have gone to Russian fans, while all the others have gone to fans from other countries.

Tickets were sold to fans in Colombia (33,048), Brazil (24,656), Peru (21,946), Germany (21,639), US (20,347), Mexico (18,155), Australia (15,906), Argentina (15,214), England (14,890) and Poland (13,686).

“Such great interest obviously resulted in sold out matches, but we have set up a transparent and fair process of ticket allocation based on a random selection draw procedure, which ensures that every application has an equal chance of being successful,” says FIFA Head of Ticketing Falk Eller.

Sixty-five percent of tickets were distributed  for international fans during the second sales phase. Sales will resume on 13 March at 12:00 at the official 2018 FIFA World Cup website. Sales will be held on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets will be available for all matches except match 7 (Argentina v. Iceland) and the final.

This includes category 4 tickets for matches, which are exclusively reserved for Russian residents.

After purchasing a ticket, fans will need to obtain a FAN ID card. The FAN ID can be applied for as soon as the match ticket purchase is confirmed by email.

A FAN ID card along with the match ticket are required to enter a stadium. This document also gives fans benefits like visa-free entry to the Russian Federation, certain free inter-host city train rides and free use of public transit on match days.