Sports Listings: World Cup

IN the week that World Cup football tickets have gone on sale to the public in the United States, 26 matches in the rounds up to and including the quarter-finals, a total of 48 games, have sold out.

Full houses in the first round are Germany's games in Chicago, Ireland's in New Jersey and Orlando, Italy's in New Jersey and Washington and Argentina's in Boston. Of the United States's games, tickets are available for the Romanian meeting in Los Angeles at dollars 25 ( pounds 17). The four matches in Dallas, including Germany v South Korea and Argentina v Bulgaria, have seats in all three categories.

Of the second-round venues, New Jersey, Boston and Chicago are sell-outs, but tickets are available at Los Angeles, Dallas, Washington, Orlando and San Francisco. Prices are dollars 35, dollars 60 and dollars 85. Two quarter-final venues still have seats: San Francisco at dollars 55 and dollars 80 and Dallas at dollars 55, dollars 80 and pounds 140. The semi-finals, final and third-place play-off are only available through official packages. World Cup USA 1994, the organisers, have a finals package, which can be tailored to include travel, for the final three matches in Los Angeles at dollars 2,500.

The Football Association has sold its allocation of tickets, but Fifa has appointed five official tour operators in Britain. All have some packages, including tickets, for all the rounds, including Ireland's matches, though Sunset International and North America Travel Service have sold their semi- final and final-round trips.

World Cup, United States, 17 June-17 July

Ticket sales for overseas callers: 010 1 213 365 6300 (World Cup USA 1994 Los Angeles office).

Frontiers Travel Plc, 138 Devonshire Road, Chiswick, London W4 2AW (Tel: 081-994 6958 or Manchester 061-832 2199 or Glasgow 041-248 8841; 081-742 1445 fax).

Sportsworld Travel, New Abbey Court, Stert Street, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 3JZ (Tel: 0235-554844; 554841 fax or London office 071-370 4515; 071-835 1646 fax).

Greaves Travel Ltd, 33/34 Marylebone High Street, London W1M 3PF (Tel: 071- 487 5687; 071-486 0722 fax).

North America Travel Service, 7 Albion Street, Leeds LS1 5ER (Tel: 0532-425555; 440481 fax).

Sunset International, Sunset Business Centre, Manchester Road, Kearsley, Bolton BL4 8SG (Tel: 0204-701555; 701666 fax).