Three weeks after the ticket shop for the preliminary round pool E in Regensburg, Germany was launched, 11.000 of 46.000 tickets are sold according to a new press release by the local organizing committee. From September 9th to 12th Germany, Team USA, Venezuela and China fight for a spot in the second round. Obviously the game between host Germany and defending Baseball World Cup champion Team USA is in high demand.
“We are very happy about the numbers. They confirm our expectations that Europe is ready for the biggest event of the International Baseball Federation (IBAF)”, said John Ostermeyer, Secretary General of the IBAF. About 25 percent of the fans bought tickets for all four days. Tickets are available in four different categories under www.baseballwm09.de. Interested buyers receive a 15 percent discount until April 30th.
Barcelona (Spain), Sundbyberg (Sweden), Moscow (Russia) and Prague (Czech Republic) also host first round groups of the IBAF Baseball World Cup. The second phase takes place in 21 venues in the Netherlands (3) and Italy (18). The final round and the title game will be held in Italy. The whole tournament lasts from September 9th thru 27th.