Snedden will hope the rugby watching public snap up the remaining 450,000 tickets needed for the organisers to reach their revenue target © Getty Images

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News: Thousands of RWC tickets still available

Players/Officials: Martin Snedden

Tournaments/Tours: Rugby World Cup

Teams: New Zealand

External Links: Rugby World Cup Tickets

Rugby World Cup officials have announced that over one million tickets have now been sold for the tournament that kicks off in New Zealand in September.

The final phase of ticket sales was opened to the general public earlier this week and tournament organisers remain confident that they will hit their substantial revenue target. "This has been a tremendous start to our final ticketing campaign and we are thrilled with the way fans in New Zealand and around the world have responded," said Martin Snedden, chief executive of the company responsible for delivering the tournament - Rugby New Zealand 2011 (RNZ 2011).

RNZ 2011 is forecasting total sales revenue of NZ$268.5m (£139m) based on expected ticket sales of 1.35m from the 48 Tournament matches. The sales in the final phase have boosted ticket revenue by NZ$17m (£8.8m) to NZ$220m (£113.5m). This means RNZ 2011 has now reached 82% of its revenue target.

Over the last six weeks fans have purchased 211,000 tickets with a value of NZ$51m (£26.3m). "This is a fantastic result and is about where we expected to be with little over two months until the tournament kicks-off," added Snedden.

Before RWC 2011, the highest revenue-generating event in New Zealand's history was the 2005 British & Irish Lions Tour, which grossed NZ$24m (£14.4m). "As of today, we have achieved nine times the ticket revenue for that event so that is very pleasing," said Snedden.

"Tickets are selling fast to many matches. Eighty five thousand fans from over 100 countries are already coming so we urge New Zealand fans to get in quickly to avoid being disappointed. There is already limited availability in some seat categories while some categories for certain matches are exhausted.

"We expect ticket to continue to sell strongly from here as happened at Rugby World Cup in France in 2007 and Australia in 2003. Interest is clearly growing in the New Zealand Tournament and that is being helped by the RWC 2011 Roadshow which is touring throughout the country in July. We've had great turnouts from fans in Bluff, Invercargill and Queenstown so far and that bodes well for the rest of the month."