Almost 900,000 tickets have been sold, representing 75 per cent of the organisers' target.

Thousands of tickets are still available for a number of games during the tournament, though.

"This is a significant milestone," said Rugby New Zealand 2011 chief executive Martin Snedden.

"It is a great place to be with the final ticket phase beginning on Monday.

"Prior to RWC 2011, the highest revenue-generating event in New Zealand's history was the 2005 British and Irish Lions Tour, which grossed $24 million (£12.5 million).

"As of today, we have achieved eight times the ticket revenue for that event.

"We have now sold just over 900,000 tickets which underlines how popular this event is going to be."

Tournament organisers hope to reach a target of $268 million (£140 million) from selling 1.35 million tickets.

The reallocation of tickets following the rearrangement of games away from Christchurch, which was hit by an earthquake earlier this year, has fuelled recent sales.

Snedden added: "This coming Monday, at 9am, the final phase of ticketing for RWC 2011 gets underway.

"We're urging fans to quickly take advantage of this sales period and secure the seats they want to witness Rugby at its best.

"There will be tickets available for most matches other than the Final.

"This includes the semi-finals and the quarter-finals.

"For most of the matches on sale Monday, there are still lots of tickets available in the lowest priced seating categories.

"For more than half the pool matches this means that fans can buy tickets for as little as $31 (£16) or $41 (£21) and take their kids for half that price.

"This could be the last time we will see the 20 best teams in the world battling it out for the Webb Ellis Cup in our own backyard, so we hope Kiwi fans in particular seize the opportunity to get ringside seats at the biggest sporting event of 2011."

International Rugby Board chairman Bernard Lapasset added: "This key announcement truly represents the final countdown to the Tournament and I am sure that there will be strong demand for tickets.

"RWC 2011 is on track to be a successful Tournament that New Zealanders and the global Rugby family will be proud of."

Tickets for pool matches can be booked here.

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