Organisers of the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa remain optimistic the tournament will be a success despite poor ticket sales.
With a little over six weeks to go before the opening match of the eight-team competition, more than half the tickets on offer to the public remain unsold.
An estimated 320,000 out of 640,000 tickets are still available, with the opening match between the hosts and Iraq in Johannesburg among those fixtures struggling to attract the fans.
Tickets for the final are also available, while only Italy's match against Brazil in Pretoria on 21 June has been confirmed as a sell-out.
World governing body FIFA and local organisers are confident, however, that the opening of ticketing centres in the four host cities will improve sales.
'From now on, with the launch of the over-the-counter sales in the ticketing centres, we are convinced it will be even easier for our football supporters to obtain tickets,' 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee chief executive Danny Jordaan told a press conference.
'By simplifying the process we are certain South Africans will now find it easier to purchase their tickets and we hope this will create the necessary demand to sell-out all matches for the tournament.'
The 2009 Confederations Cup represents a timely warm-up event for the South Africans with FIFA's showpiece event, the World Cup, due to be held in the country next year.
The first ticketing centre for the Confederations Cup opens in Johannesburg on 1 May, followed by the launch of further centres in Rustenburg, Bloemfontein and Pretoria three days later.
'After opening the ticketing sales for the FIFA Confederations Cup to the corporate market two months ago, we are very pleased with the feedback of the local business community,' FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke added.
'We do hope that with the opening of the ticketing centres we will now have a similar positive response of the general republic.'
Organisers confirmed security measures will be stepped up for the tournament which features the six continental champions - the United States, Brazil, Iraq, Egypt, Spain and New Zealand - plus World Cup winners Italy and the host nation.
A total of 8,000 security service members will be deployed in and around the host cities during the two-week tournament.
