Sponsor offers 20,000 free tickets to Women’s World Cup as New Zealand sales lag

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A sponsor is giving away 20,000 tickets to Women’s World Cup matches as sales in New Zealand remain sluggish in a country where rugby is the national sport. FIFA says 1.25 million tickets have been sold to matches in Australia and New Zealand. Of those 320,000 have been sold to matches in New Zealand but only a few of those matches are close to a sell out. The accounting firm Xero, a tournament partner, says it will offer 5,000 free tickets to a match at each of New Zealand’s four venues.