Euro 2008 tickets 30 times oversubscribed

VIENNA, Apr 2 (Reuters) Tickets for the 2008 European Championship were 30 times oversubscribed after seats went on sale in the first round of applications, European soccer's governing body UEFA said today.

The huge demand means the second round of sales -- initially planned to allocate unsold tickets on a first come, first served basis in June -- has been abandoned.

Almost 600,000 fans from 142 countries had ordered 10.4 million tickets when the deadline expired on March 31 -- 18 times more than for the Euro 2004 finals in Portugal and almost as many as for last year's World Cup in Germany.

The applicants are competing for just 350,000 tickets, a third of the total, that were available in the first round and will be distributed using a lottery system in mid-April.

The remaining tickets are reserved for participating national soccer associations, official sponsors, VIPs, special guests, host cities and stadium owners.

With qualifying matches underway, co-hosts Austria and Switzerland are the only countries so far guaranteed a place in the tournament.

Ticket applications have come in from around the world including Australia, China, El Salvador and Uganda.

Euro 2008 kicks off in Basel on June 7, 2008, with gamees also being staged in Geneva, Berne, Zurich, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Klagenfurt and Vienna, where the final is scheduled for June 29.

REUTERS PDS RN1850