THE United States’ shock Confederations Cup semi- final win over Spain has sparked enormous interest from Americans in next year’s World Cup, Fifa revealed yesterday .

“There is a huge demand for World Cup tickets, already 93000 have been sold and the response since last night's victory has been incredible,” said 2010 Local Organising Committee media officer Jermaine Craig .

“There's phenomenal excitement from the United States,” he added.

Fifa head of media Nicolas Maingot believes Wednesday's stunning 2-0 win over the European champions at Bloemfontein could have far-reaching implications for soccer in the United States.

“This result can have an impact on the development of soccer in the US,” said Maingot.

World football's governning body Fifa are hopeful that US President Barack Obama will attend the World Cup opening ceremony and first match next year. The opening ceremony is scheduled for the new 100000-seat Soccer City stadium on the outskirts of Soweto. The opening match is likely to feature either hosts South Africa or defending world champions, Italy. — Sapa-AFP