COSTA DO SAUIPE, Brazil (AP) Tickets for the final and the opening match of the 2014 World Cup will not be available to fans when a new sales phase opens after Friday's draw in Brazil.
FIFA had been saying it would sell tickets to all 64 matches beginning Sunday, but the high-demand matches in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro will be blocked off again for now.
Tickets for the two matches were among those already not available in the previous ticket sales. More than 720,000 tickets were requested for the June 12 opener at the Itaquerao stadium in Sao Paulo and more than 750,000 were requested for the July 13 final at the Maracana Stadium in Rio.
Football's governing body said Thursday that tickets for the matches may be available again in future sales phases.
Fans can apply for tickets to all other matches from Sunday until Jan. 30. A random selection draw will allocate the tickets for matches where the demands surpass the number of entrances available. FIFA says fans putting in their request on the first day the window opens will have the same chance as those applying on the last day.