It will be the seventh time that Lahti, located 100 kilometres north-east of Finland's capital Helsinki, has hosted the event having previously staged it in 1926, 1938, 1958, 1978, 1989 and 2001.

Lahti was awarded the event by the International Ski Federation in May 2012 ahead of rivals Oberstdorf in Germany, Planica in Slovenia and Zakopane in Poland.

The city had also bid unsuccessfully for the 2015 World Championships, which were awarded in Falun in Sweden. 

"The Falun World Championships offer an excellent benchmark for us and we are pleased to have hit the the 50,000 ticket mark a little bit earlier than they did." Mikko Saarinen, the sales director of Lahti 2017, said. 

"We also know from previous experience that consumer demand will start to pick up more rapidly as the winter season approaches."

Tickets for the most popular days are already sold out for the event due to be held from February 22 to March 5.

"Consumer interest is growing and people want to make sure that they secure the best seats early on," said Saarinen.

"The A1 stand closest to the finishing line is sold out completely."

Currently spectators can buy special ticket packages for two or more days. 

Single day tickets are due to go on sale from October 4 and will be subject to availability.

For more details click here.