Although India does not feature, all the tickets for Kochi's opening day fixture of the Under-17 World Cup on October 7, have been sold out.
Tickets for all the other dates are available online and they are priced at Rs 300, Rs 150, Rs 60.
Speaking to The News Minute, a source said that from Wednesday tickets will be sold over the counter.
“More than 80% of the phase 3 tickets have been sold out. From tomorrow there will be a box office functioning. There will be eight counters in front of the Kochi stadium for over the counter sale of tickets,” the official told TNM.
The tournament is India’s first at hosting a FIFA event. A total of 24 countries are participating in this footballing extravaganza.
The Kaloor Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the city is hosting all the round robin matches for Group D and one match each from the Round of 16 and quarter final stage. Group D features Brazil, Spain, Nigeria and Guinea.
On the opening day Brazil takes on Spain at 5pm and in the second match, North Korea plays against Nigeria which starts at 8pm.
On October 10, the first match is between Spain and Nigeria and the second between North Korea and Brazil.
The third day (October 13) of fixtures in Kochi will see Guinea taking on Germany followed by Spain against North Korea.
On October 18, there is one match in the round of 16 and October 22 will see see one quarter final match.
The total seating capacity at the venue has been reduced to 41,000 taking into account the security concerns. Brand new chairs have been installed in the stadium.
The official trophy was unveiled on September 22 by Kerala Minister of Youth Affairs AC Moideen amidst much fanfare at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi.
Kerala is one of the footballing hotbeds in the country. The state has in the past produced many footballing talents in the country like IM VIjayan, VP Sathyan and Jo Paul Ancheri who had made it big in domestic and international football.
India which is in Group A will play USA, Colombia and Ghana (two time winners) in the group matches for a place in the Round of 16. India has automatically qualified for its first U17 World Cup by virtue of being the host nation. India will play USA at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the national capital on October 6.
This is the 17th edition of the tournament which is held every two years.
The U-17 World Cup in the past has proved to be a springboard for future superstars including the world’s most expensive player, Brazil’s Neymar.
Other than New Delhi, which will host all the round robin matches for India and Kochi, the other venues include Guwahati, Goa, Mumbai and Kolkata. The Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata will be the venue for the final.