A section of supporters have called for a boycott of the upcoming FIFA World Cup due to American President Donald Trump's foreign policy. Many have cancelled their tickets. As a result, questions surfaced about filling stadiums for World Cup matches. Amid this, statistics have shown a ray of hope. A new precedent has been set. Nearly 500 million people have applied to buy World Cup tickets. In this regard, Cristiano Ronaldo has outpaced Lionel Messi. The highest number of applications have been submitted to watch the Portugal vs Colombia match in the group stage.
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Why the Portugal vs Colombia match is in the spotlight
Portugal is in Group 'K' in the World Cup. In the same group with them are Uzbekistan and Colombia. Another team will secure a place from the knockout stage. However, excitement is building around the Portugal vs Colombia match. Colombia has star footballers like James Rodriguez and Luis Diaz. So football fans are hoping to see a fierce battle against Ronaldo and Bruno.
FIFA has announced that the highest number of applications have been submitted for tickets to this match. This match will be held in Miami on June 27. However, FIFA President Gianni Infantino sees the submission of nearly 500 million ticket applications in just 33 days as a major message.
World Cup overview and global interest
This football World Cup will be hosted in the USA, Mexico and Canada. For the first time, 48 teams will participate in the World Cup. Applications have been submitted from all 211 FIFA-recognized countries for this mega event. FIFA kept the window open for 33 days. An average of nearly 15 million ticket applications were submitted daily.
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Apart from the three host countries, the highest number of applications have been submitted from Germany, England, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Colombia. By February 5, it will be announced who will get tickets. There will also be opportunities for those who don't get them. They can apply for tickets in last-minute sales a few days before the World Cup begins.
