The Matildas’ opening group match of the 2023 Women’s World Cup has just been upgraded to a larger venue, while ticket demand could potentially see Australia’s national team play in front of a record crowd.
The Matildas’ first match in Sydney against the Republic of Ireland on July 20 has been moved from the Sydney Football Stadium, with a capacity of 42,500 to Stadium Australia, which holds 83,500 people. It means double the amount of people will be able to attend the match, signifying the surging popularity of the Matildas.
The upgrade to Stadium Australia could help the Matildas set a home crowd attendance record (which currently sits at 36,109) and could push them into the top five of women’s football attendances of all time.
“It’s very exciting news,” Football Australia Chief Executive James Johnson said.
“The move from Sydney Football Stadium to Stadium Australia is big for Australian football and highlights the confidence which we have in the CommBank Matildas to draw a huge crowd for the first match of the tournament in Australia.
“This is a major worldwide competition, and it really places Australia and New Zealand right at the heart and the centre of world football for a month. As we witnessed in 2022, these competitions transcend sport and really bring the Australian community together.”
Stadium Australia is the largest venue of the tournament and had originally been slated for knock out games only, but the demand for tickets led to organisers upgrading Australia’s opening group match.
Those who had already purchased tickets for the opening match will remain valid for the new venue, with additional tickets to go on sale on February 24 at 12pm AEDT.
More than 500,000 tickets have already been sold for the tournament, which will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. The opening ceremony will take place in Auckland.