World Cup tickets almost sold out, says Beckenbauer

MUNICH, June 6 (Reuters) All tickets for the World Cup, which kicks off in Munich on Friday, are expected to be sold despite a limited number going on sale after late returns from some soccer associations, Franz Beckenbauer said today.

''It is a pity that they were returned after the deadline, but I am sure they will all be sold,'' said Beckenbauer, the president of host Germany's organising committee.

He added that more than three million tickets have been sold while his vice-president Wolfgang Niersbach said the small number of returned tickets had been immediately processed for re-sale on the organisers' Web site.

REUTERS DH BST2012