Nearly 3.5 million tickets have been sought for next year's FIFA World Cup in Russia ©Getty Images

Nearly 3.5 million tickets have been requested for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, with the first sales period concluding today.

In all, 3,496,204 tickets have been sought since September 14, organisers have announced.

The greatest number of applications have come from the host nation, but almost one-third comes from the rest of the world.

German, Brazilian, Argentinian, Mexican, American, Colombian, Egyptian, Chinese and Polish requests all rank in the top 10.

Around 150,000 tickets have been requested for the opening match and more than 300,000 for the final.

Both matches will be played at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.

During the random selection draw sales period, fans had the chance to apply for tickets for every match or for specific ticket products. 

In cases where the number of tickets applied for exceeds the availability, tickets will be allocated by a random selection draw process. 

All successful, partially successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified of the outcome of their applications by November 16.

First-time qualifiers Panama are among the teams to have booked their World Cup place ©Getty Images
First-time qualifiers Panama are among the teams to have booked their World Cup place ©Getty Images

Ticket sales will restart on that day on a first-come, first-served basis when fans will be able to buy online.

This period will end on November 28 with tickets delivered free of charge to fans in the weeks leading up to the tournament, which will take place between June 14 and July 15.

At the request of Russian authorities, all fans attending matches at the 2018 World Cup need to apply for a "FAN ID" - the official identity document of the tournament. 

Fans are encouraged to apply for this free document as soon as possible after they receive their ticket confirmation email.

Both the FAN ID and a valid ticket are required for fans to be able to enter the stadiums. 

Having a FAN ID gives fans additional benefits and services provided by the host country, such as visa-free entry to Russia, certain free inter-host city travel and free use of public transport on match days. 

Only nine spots are yet to be filled at the tournament, which will take place between June 14 and July 15.

Hosts Russia have been joined by Brazil, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Belgium, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Germany, England, Spain, Nigeria, Costa Rica, Poland, Egypt, Iceland, Serbia, France, Portugal, Panama, Uruguay, Colombia and Argentina who have all qualified.