Ticket sales for the FIFA Women’s World Cup have surpassed 1.3 million across Australia and New Zealand, setting a new record before the tournament has even begun.
The strong ticket sales have exceeded the total sold for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada, which had previously been the most attended women’s tournament.
This year’s tournament has a goal of selling 1.5 million tickets across Australia and New Zealand, and it is well on track to meet it. Tickets sales have been larger in Australia than New Zealand.
“These strong ticket sales not only reflect the immense popularity of women’s football but also underline the historic nature of this event,” Football Australia CEO James Johnson said.
“With an expected worldwide broadcast audience of two billion people, the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 will showcase the extraordinary talent and athleticism of female players to a global audience.
“We are excited to witness the impact of this tournament on inspiring future generations, which is propelling women’s football to new heights.”
Interest in attending Matildas matches has been the strongest, with tickets to all three of the Matildas’ group stage matches in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne the most popular.
Tickets to see England and the US have also been selling fast.
The World Cup gets underway on Thursday afternoon, with New Zealand taking on Norway at Eden Park in Auckland.
The Matildas will then take on the Republic of Ireland at 8pm at Stadium Australia in Sydney in front of a sell out crowd of nearly 80,000 fans.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Matildas captain Sam Kerr said she was excited to play in front of such a massive home crowd.
“I love playing in front of packed stadiums,” Kerr said. “But I think as a team, it’s going to go up and down. We have to just live in the moment.”
“We spoke about it briefly today. It’s okay to feel nervous, or okay to get overshadowed by the crowd because that’s life, that’s football. We can talk about it, but it’s about being in the moment and supporting one another.”
Federal Minister for Sport Anika Wells said the Matildas match would be history-making.
“80,000 people cheering incredible female athletes,” she said. “This isn’t just a treasured moment for the Matildas and football – it’s a statement for women’s sport. A statement that major events should not be seen just through a male lens.”
“Elite women’s sport isn’t a phase. It isn’t a nice to have. It’s here to stay. And it’s brilliant.