Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022: 1.2 million tickets requested within 24 hours

Dubai - The highest demand came from fans from Qatar, followed by Argentina, Mexico, the USA, UAE, England, India, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and France

The start of ticket sales for the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 has generated huge demand around the world, football's world governing body revealed on Thursday.

More than 1.2 million tickets have been requested by fans worldwide in the first 24 hours of the initial sales period.

The highest demand came from fans from Qatar, followed by Argentina, Mexico, the USA, UAE, England, India, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and France.

More than 140,000 tickets have been requested for the final due to take place on December 18 at Lusail Stadium, and over 80,000 for the opening match.

Given the remarkable interest from all over the world, Fifa reminded all football fans that FIFA.com/tickets is the only official and legitimate website on which to apply for Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 tickets.

"During this first sales period, which finishes on February 8 at 1 p.m Doha time (2 pm UAE Time), fans are able to submit their ticket applications at any time," Fifa said in a statement.

"In this initial phase, it makes no difference whether applications are submitted on the first day, the last day or any time in between, as all tickets will be allocated following the closing of the ticket application period. In cases where the number of tickets applied for exceeds the available ticket inventory for the domestic or international market, tickets will be allocated by a random selection draw process.

"All successful, partially successful and unsuccessful applicants will be duly notified of the outcome of their applications by March 8, along with the steps to follow and the deadline by which to pay for allocated tickets," Fifa added.