At just the halfway point of the month-long application phase for UEFA EURO 2008 tickets, fans from 128 countries have made 2.5 million ticket requests.

Although 233,000 fans worldwide have already applied for tickets via the official website, euro2008.com, applications will be accepted until midnight on 31 March, with all requests having the same chance of being picked, regardless of when it was submitted.

The 2008 UEFA European Championship final round will take place between 7 and 29 June in Austria and Switzerland.

Christian Mutschler, Euro 2008 SA tournament director Switzerland, said fans from three European countries were especially eager to get tickets.

“In the league table of applications from fans, Switzerland has opened up a clear lead, followed by Austria and Germany,” said Mutschler.

It is not a surprise that the most popular matches are receiving the most interest.

“The favourites are the final in Vienna, the semi-final in Basle and the opening match, also at the St. Jakob-Park in Basle,” according to Christian Schmölzer, Euro 2008 SA tournament director Austria.

Approximately 50,000 orders per day came in during the first two days of the ticket launch and now an average of 10,000 applications come in every 24 hours.

The validity of all applications received will be checked in early April and a drawing will be held in the middle of the month to distribute tickets for over-subscribed matches. The draw will be entirely random and will be supervised by a notary. All applicants will know by the end of April whether they were selected.

If any tickets are still available after the first phase, the remainder will go on sale on the website in early June, on a first come, first serve basis.

Clubs that reach the finals will also be given about 19 percent of the ticket quota that it can sell to its fans following the tournament draw in December.