Ticket sales sluggish for FIFA U-20 World Cup in Korea

By a2017001

Published : May 19, 2017 - 11:12 Updated : May 19, 2017 - 11:12

With a day left until the opening of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea, less than 30 percent of tickets have been sold, according to the organizers, although the tournament's opening match is likely to be sold out.

South Korea will host the U-20 World Cup in six cities -- Suwon, Jeonju, Daejeon, Cheonan, Incheon and Jeju -- from Saturday to June 11. The young Taeguk Warriors are in Group A with Guinea, Argentina and England at the 24-team football competition.

South Korean under-20 national football team players train at an auxiliary football field near Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, on May 17, 2017. The FIFA U-20 World Cup kicks off on May 20, 2017. (Yonhap)

The ticket sales data by the organizers showed that 86.7 percent of available tickets, or 37,000, for South Korea's opening match against Guinea on Saturday at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, were sold as of Thursday. The organizers said considering tickets to be sold at the stadium ticket offices on the match day, the official opening match of the U-20 World Cup will not have empty seats.

The organizers said 16,800 tickets have been sold so far for South Korea's second match against Argentina, which is also staged in Jeonju, next Tuesday. They added more than 76.5 percent of tickets, or 32,000, have been sold for South Korea's last group stage match against England in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province on May 26.

Overall ticket sales, however, are sluggish, as South Koreans seem to have less interest in matches between other national teams. The sales data showed only 290,000 tickets, or 26.4 percent of 1.1 million tickets allocated to six host cities having been sold.

By cities, Suwon, where the U-20 World Cup final will be staged, sold some 70,000 tickets, followed by Jeonju (62,700), Daejeon (41,200), Cheonan (37,900), Incheon (31,200) and Jeju (25,000).

The local organizing committee said the ticket price ranges from 7,000 won to 50,000 won ($6.21 to US$44.39) depending on their category. Tickets can be purchased online at kr.FIFA.com/u20ticket (in Korean) or at FIFA.com/u20ticket (in English). Fans may also visit match operation centers at each host city or call 1544-1555 to make their purchases. (Yonhap)