FIFA gave away 70,000 free tickets so local South Africans could attend Confederations Cup matches during the group stage of the eight-team tournament.

The governing body of world soccer decided to hand out the free tickets after some early matches at the World Cup warm-up tournament were played in half-empty stadiums.

"The amount of complimentary tickets for the group stage is 70,000," FIFA spokesman Nicolas Maingot said Wednesday, adding that total numbers would likely be available after the 16-match competition ends.

Tickets for the 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa have gone on sale as Africa prepares to host the contest for the first time.

Around 3m tickets are available for the 64 matches, which start in June 2010.

In the first sales phase, applications for tickets will be followed by a random selection draw in April.

Some 450,000 cheaper tickets are being reserved for South African residents of which 120,000 will be issued free to stadium construction workers.

Tickets will go on sale in several phases, starting around the beginning of February 2009. As in the past, tickets that are not be bought by various stakeholders such as FIFA member associations will subsequently be put on sale to the general public.

The 32 participating member associations will be offered 12% of the purchasable tickets for each of their matches (previously 8%) in the group phase and an average of 8% in the knockout phases.

As well as being a premiere in terms of its setting on the African continent, the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ will also mark a first with a FIFA-initiated ticket fund consisting of tickets that will be distributed on a complimentary basis.

The prices and categories for tickets for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, as elaborated by the ticketing sub-committee set up jointly by FIFA and the South African local organising committee (LOC), were approved by the Organising Committee for the FIFA World Cup, under the chairmanship of FIFA vice-president Issa Hayatou, at its meeting in Durban today.