FIFA is confident the 2010 World Cup will soon be a sold-out affair after introducing over-the-counter sales.

FIFA is confident the 2010 World Cup will soon be a sold-out affair after introducing over-the-counter sales.

Fifa, through its ticketing subcommittee chairperson Horst Schmidt, said yesterday that 90percent of the three million World Cup tickets have been sold.

Schmidt, who was the chief executive of the 2006 World Cup in Germany, has advised South Africans to hurry up and buy tickets to avoid disappointment.

Over-the-counter ticket sales were introduced by the Local Organising Committee last month, a system many South Africans are familiar with.

Schmidt said about 1,5million tickets were sold to South African citizens, with the rest bought by people across the globe.

While there are still tickets available for selected matches in Polokwane, Rustenburg, Port Elizabeth and Mbombela, those for the big games were sold out. Tickets can still be purchased on the Fifa website (www.fifa.com), at Shoprite-Checkers stores and ticketing centres in the nine host cities.

LOC chairperson Irvin Khoza said the committee was happy that more South Africans were buying tickets. He said they wanted all 64 matches to be played in front of full stadiums, urging South Africans to embrace the six African teams in the World Cup.