900,000 WCup Tickets Go to Fans from 188 Countries

FIFA announced that nearly 900,000 tickets have been allocated to fans from 188 countries in the random selection draw for the 2014 World Cup, the highest number ever in the first phase of sales.

Football's governing body said on Tuesday that Brazilians received 625,276 of the 889,305 available tickets. American residents were awarded 66,646 tickets, while the English followed with 22,257 and the Germans with 18,019.

More than 6.2 million tickets were requested, nearly double the amount of total tickets available for the first World Cup in Brazil since 1950.

The next stage of sales begins on Monday on a first-come, first-served basis. Fans will be allowed to make purchases again beginning on December 8, after the World Cup draw determines where and when each of the 32 teams will play.