Fans hoping to attend the semi-finals and final of next year’s rugby World Cup have their last chance to enter the ballot for tickets when the second phase of sales opens on Sept. 10, organizers said on Friday.
Opportunities to purchase the prized tickets for both semi-finals and the final at Auckland’s Eden Park will be awarded through a computerized ballot next year, with only fans who bought tickets in the first two phases eligible for the lottery.
“I urge fans to take advantage of this phase as it may well be their last chance to buy tickets until well into next year and also the last chance to enter the ballots for semi-finals and final tickets,” tournament chief executive Martin Snedden said.
About 400,000 tickets for individual matches would be available in the four-week second sales phase, which begins the day after the tournament marks the year-to-go countdown.
Tickets sold in the second phase and subsequent sales periods would also increase in price to reflect the 2.5 percent rise in sales tax in New Zealand, which takes effect on Oct. 1, organizers said.
About 1.45 million of the 1.65 million tickets will be publicly available for the 48 matches.
The first sales phase of team and venue-specific packs and for the quarter-finals and third-fourth playoff ended in May. More than 500,000 tickets were sold, organizers said, with about 100,000 purchased by overseas fans.
While fans would be able to pick and choose individual match tickets during the second phase, which ends on Oct. 8, Snedden warned there had already been excess demand to some matches and venues.
Tickets to the quarter-finals in Wellington and Christchurch were already almost sold out, with about 2,000 tickets available in the second phase for each of the four games, Snedden said.
The opening match between New Zealand and Tonga, and matches between the All Blacks and France, England and Scotland, and Australia and Ireland, all at Eden Park, also had fewer than 2,000 tickets available.
“Most tickets within the lowest price category have [also] been snapped up at Eden Park, Wellington and Christchurch,” he said. “We have already seen demand outstrip supply for some matches, and advise fans not to leave it too late and to apply during this second phase.”
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