Scoring Tickets for Local Matches Will Be a Tough Goal

Securing a ticket for the 1994 World Cup soccer matches at the Rose Bowl won’t be easy.

The 70-year-old Rose Bowl will be the site for four first-round matches, one match in the round of 16, a semifinal match and the final on July 17, 1994.

For starters, a portion of the 3.5 million tickets that will be available for the 52-match tournament at nine U.S. venues will be sold first in foreign countries through member federations of FIFA, the international soccer governing body.

After that, World Cup USA 94, the tournament organizers, will give priority in the United States to members of the U.S. Soccer Federation. Those include players, referees and officials.

When the deadline expires for that group, the organizers will sell tickets to the public by mail order under first-come, first-served guidelines.

Several ticket packages will be available. The two main packages will involve tickets for all first-round matches at all the venues and another option would be to buy tickets for all the matches at each stadium, except the semifinals and finals.

Another package will allow fans to watch their favorite team wherever it plays during the monthlong tournament.

To qualify for mail order tickets, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to World Cup USA 94, Box 1994, Los Angeles, CA 90051-1994. Or call (213) 365-6300 or any Ticketmaster outlet. The organizers will send information on ticket plans and prices, although details won’t be available until later this year and in some cases not until 1993.