More than a million fans tried to buy tickets for tomorrow’s U-17 World Cup semi-final clash between England and Brazil in India, Fifa said today.
Torrential rain and a waterlogged pitch meant the match was switched from Guwahati to Kolkata. As a result, 66,000 tickets were put back on sale via the Fifa ticketing website.
Fifa confirmed to the Daily Mail that a million people tried to buy tickets when they went on sale yesterday. More than 100,000 were left waiting in an online queue.
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“Following the decision to reschedule the semi-final... the logistical challenges were numerous," it said. “From the moment tickets were put on sale at 20.30 IST until today, more than one million people tried to access the ticketing portal of the service provider.”
“Tickets for the match have now sold out and both FIFA and the LOC are incredibly grateful to every single fan who tried, successfully or not, to purchase a ticket. Collectively, we are very sorry that a number of fans... experienced technical difficulties, a huge queue, and in some cases, a deduction of monies without confirmation or ticket.
“Throughout the build-up to this tournament, and during, we have been overwhelmed by the positive response to this first FIFA tournament hosted in India.”
Fifa also said it was a “big regret” that they were unable to supply tickets to each of the million-plus fans keen to attend tomorrow’s match.
England progressed to the final four after a 4-1 victory over the US in the quarter-finals.
How to watch the England vs. Brazil semi-final on TV
The England vs. Brazil semi-final in Kolkata kicks-off at 12.30pm (UK time) tomorrow and is live on Eurosport. The winners will face Spain or Mali in the final on Saturday.
