World Cup Organizers Quietly Stage Early Sale of Remaining Single Tickets

Although U.S. World Cup soccer officials have said remaining tickets would not be sold before May 1, organizers began staging a four-day sale Sunday that apparently is open to the public.

Single tickets for most Cup games went on sale by telephone at (800) 769-1994. A maximum of 10 tickets per game can be bought by each person.

Only a limited number of people, including World Cup staff members, were informed of the sale.

“It was basically the people who got shut out on the random selection sale (last year) and the soccer family (who got early access),” said Alan Rothenberg, the organizing committee chairman and president of the United States Soccer Federation.

“We gave an internal offering, as we had done the last time, too. We felt that those people have been devoting their life to the cause.”