Two-thirds of World Cup matches sell out just hours after FIFA opens new sales phase

SAO PAULO – More than two-thirds of the World Cup matches have sold out less than three hours after FIFA opened new ticket sales on Wednesday.

Tickets for all Brazil matches were gone in about an hour, as were those for all the quarterfinals and nearly all second-round matchups in the June 12-July 13 tournament.

Only about 20 matches involving less traditional teams remained available for purchase on FIFA's website.

This phase is on a first-come, first-serve basis, and the four highest-demand matches of the 64 did not offer tickets — the opener, the final and the semifinals. About 345,000 tickets were available in this stage.

Some Brazilian fans complained of the long wait to purchase tickets, saying it took nearly an hour to access the sales platform.