March 12, 2004

Tickets for the FIFA World Cup 2006 qualifying match between Singapore & Japan were snapped up quickly with all of the available seats at the 6,000-seat Jalan Besar Stadium sold out in half an hour.

With the 55,000-capacity National Stadium unavailable due to an international rugby sevens tournament at the end of the month, the Football Association of Singapore had to opt for the much smaller Jalan Besar Stadium for the game on March 31.

It was evident when tickets went on sale on Thursday morning that demand far outstripped supply for one of the most eagerly-anticipated matches in Singapore.

Ticketing agents SISTIC felt that it was unfortunate that many fans did not manage to obtain tickets despite their efforts to queue early because demand for tickets to this event far outweighed the supply.

In addition to local fans, large numbers of Japanese fans had also been expected to travel to watch the game. The JFA had reportedly asked for a ticket allocation of 10,000 for the Group 3 match.

SINGAPORE v JAPAN

Ticket details

Jalan Besar Stadium capacity: 6,000
Tickets given to Japan FA to sell in Japan: 1,000
Complimentary tickets to sponsors, players and family: 500
Tickets reserved for VIPs and media: 500
Tickets sold at 21 Sistic outlets: 4,000

Tickets sold out but match will be shown live on giant screens at the former Christ Church Secondary next to stadium