More than 1 million tickets have already been sold for next year's World Cup, FIFA said Thursday in its first update on numbers since the official start of sales began earlier this month. The highest demand, as would be expected, were from buyers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico the three nations that will play host to the tournament. FIFA said people from 212 different countries and territories have already purchased, even though only 28 of the 48 spots in the field have been filled.
The prevailing softness reflects mounting concerns regarding global demand in the context of escalating trade tensions between the United States and its trading partners, including the European Union.
Gold has been the quintessential symbol of wealth and security, remaining a key part of national and international economic strategy for modern countries, particularly for hedging against inflation.