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.
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.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“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.
-
Music reviews: Chance the Rapper, Cass McCombs, and Molly TuttleFeature "Star Line," "Interior Live Oak," and "So Long Little Miss Sunshine"
-
Film reviews: Eden and Honey Don't!Feature Seekers of a new utopia spiral into savagery and a queer private eye prowls a high-desert town
-
Critics' choice: Three chefs fulfilling their ambitionsFeature Kwame Onwuachi's grand second act, Travis Lett makes a comeback, and Jeff Watson's new Korean restaurant
-
World Cup 2026: uncertainty reigns with one year to goIn the Spotlight US-hosted Fifa tournament has to navigate Trump's travel bans, logistical headaches and an exhausting expanded format
-
The wit and wisdom of Sven-Göran ErikssonIn Depth The first foreign coach to manage England on football, life and death
-
Can England's Euros team hold their nerve?Today's Big Question Three Lions' 'lopsided' opening win over Serbia raises more questions than it answers
-
The England kit: a furore over the flagIn the Spotlight Nike's redesign of the St George's Cross on the collar of the English national team's shirt has caused controversy
-
Saudi Arabia's 2034 World Cup: glitz, glamour and 'grimly inevitable'Talking Point Critics claim country is guilty of sportswashing as it stands unopposed to host tournament
-
Lionesses will have regrets but their legacy can be ‘incredible’feature England stars return home after heartbreaking Women’s World Cup final loss to Spain
-
How English women’s football could become a billion pound industryfeature Building on the success of the Lionesses won’t be easy but it is eminently possible
-
Lionesses dig deep after Lauren James’s ‘Beckham-esque’ red cardfeature England reach the Women’s World Cup quarter-finals after a 4-2 win on penalties against Nigeria
