Support The Moscow Times!

Almost 90% of Tickets Sold for the World Cup in Russia

Sergei Vedyashkin / Moskva News Agency

Almost 90 percent of the tickets to the 2018 FIFA World Cup matches have been sold, chairman of the tournament's organizing committee Alexey Sorokin said Thursday.

Sorokin was speaking at a meeting hosted in Sochi by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the state of preparation for the World Cup, business daily Vedomosti reported.

According to Sorokin, fans have already purchased 2.374 million tickets to the 64 matches of the international football tournament, which accounts for 89 percent of all available tickets.

“We can already predict that we will have full stands at each match of the World Cup,” Sorokin said.

Russian fans acquired 46 percent of the tickets, while foreign fans have a 54 percent share. Among the foreigners, fans from the United States, China, Colombia, Mexico and Argentina have bought up the most tickets. This is despite the U.S. and Chinese national teams failing to qualify for the tournament.

The last phase of ticket sales began on April 18 and will continue through to the tournament final on July 15.

This week fans were given the option of buying tickets in person when ticket offices opened in the 11 host cities on May 1. Tickets can still be purchased via the FIFA website.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more