They are the hottest tickets in town ? and they are selling fast!

Bermudians have football fever and it?s catching quickly ? so quickly that by 2.30 p.m. yesterday the 2,150 seats in the National Sports Centre?s grandstand were sold out for tomorrow?s World Cup qualifier between Bermuda and El Salvador.

The only place left for fans wanting to see if Kenny Thompson?s firepower can shoot down their Central American rivals is the bleachers and there are only 1,500 tickets for that area. Given the public?s overwhelming response to the match ? which will decide which team advance to the third round of qualifiers ? it?s anticipated the remaining tickets will be snapped up when the Bermuda Football Association (BFA) opens its doors from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow and that the stadium will be filled to its 4,500 capacity.

?I?m absolutely delighted with the response from our football family in purchasing their tickets in advance. It?s shown that this country is behind football and the national team.

?We?re looking forward to our players delivering victory,? declared BFA president Larry Mussenden.

Sports Minister Dale Butler also commended Bermudians for their support of the national team and encouraged those who were yet to buy tickets to do so at the earliest opportunity.

?Come out and enjoy the game. We have an excellent chance of beating them. I?m looking forward to it,? he said.

Though the on-field action is expected to be hot the match could well be played in overcast or even rainy conditions as the weather forecast predicts downpours from tomorrow morning into the afternoon.

Bermuda will beat El Salvador ? according to 54 percent of respondents to a online poll.

Of the 486 people who answered the question ?Can Bermuda beat El Salvador on Sunday??, 54.1 percent said ?yes?, 33.3 percent said ?no? and 12.6 percent said they did not know.