Demand for tickets is so high that FIFA are being tipped to move Australia’s opening game at this year’s Women’s World Cup to the 83,500-seat Accor Stadium.
The Matildas play the Republic of Ireland on July 20 in a game currently scheduled for Sydney’s Allianz Stadium, where the capacity is 45,500.
This is in the wake of news that more than 500,000 tickets have already sold for the tournament in New Zealand and Australia.
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The first tranche of tickets for the Alllianz Stadium have sold out, causing uproar with Irish fans whose allocation was fewer than 5,000.
Football Australia have been lobbying FIFA to enable the venue switch in a move that could see the Matildas play in front of the biggest crowd in their history.
Their home attendance record was the 36,109 who watched them play the United States in 2021.
If moved to Accor, and sold out, the game would become the second-biggest crowd in Women’s World Cup history.
Meanwhile, New Zealand’s opener at the tournament, against Norway, is expected to draw about 45,000 to Auckland’s Eden Park.
FIFA have reported that ticket sales for the 2023 Women’s World Cup have been greater in the first six weeks on sale than in the first six months they were offered for the 2019 event.
FIFA’s chief women’s officer Sarai Bareman told Australia’s Herald and The Age no final decisions had been made but the stadium shift was being considered.
“At this stage, nothing has changed, but we are very clear that we want this to be the biggest and most successful Women’s World Cup we’ve ever had. And that means we want as many fans as possible to be able to access it, so nothing’s off the table,” she said.
Record attendances
The biggest crowds recorded so far for women’s football matches are:
91,648: Barcelona v Wolfsburg (UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final (first leg), Camp Nou), April 22, 2022.
91,553: Barcelona v Real Madrid (UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final (second leg), Camp Nou), March 30, 2022.
90,185: United States v China (1999 Women’s World Cup final, Rose Bowl, Pasadena), July 10, 1999.
87,192: England v Germany (UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 final, Wembley Stadium, London), July 31, 2022.
80,203: United States v Japan (London 2012 Olympics women’s football final, Wembley Stadium, London), August 9, 2012.