The tournament will provide unprecedented publicity for CTS Eventim, the world's second-largest ticket supplier behind Ticketmaster of the US. But the most prestigious sporting event in Germany for 30 years comes with huge risks.

"The demand for tickets will be far greater than the number available," said Franz Beckenbauer, the competition's chief organiser and a former World Cup winner as both player and manager for Germany.

Ticket sales at the last World Cup in South Korea and Japan were mired in controversy as venues that had supposedly sold out appeared half empty, embarrassing both ticket provider Byrom of the UK and football's governing body, FIFA.

CTS is expected to earn ?30m ($39m, ?21m) from World Cup ticket sales, with an estimated 20 per cent profit margin. Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, chief executive of CTS, said: "Our only worry is for internet traffic on February 1 [when ticket sales start] but everything is tested and ready."

The Munich-based company has 15,000 servers ready to handle up to 10m orders a day, but there are only 2.9m tickets to be sold.

The broader business community is also backing the World Cup and last week agreed with the German government to launch a ?20m investment promotion campaign in the months before the competition.

The campaign has been attacked by the conservative opposition as a vehicle to boost Chancellor Gerhard Schr?der's re-election chances in September 2006, soon after the tournament.

German companies are keen to be seen supporting the contest. According to one government estimate, the tournament could boost gross national product by ?8bn between 2003 and 2010.

Companies are sensitive about being linked to the government, which is unpopular because of its tough economic reforms, but are backing the provisional slogan for the campaign, "Germany, land of ideas" as suitably detached from political bias.

By Richard Milne in Frankfurt and Hugh Williamson in Berlin

from FT