FIFA has announced that more than 500,000 tickets for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup have been sold to fans just under six months before the competition kicks off in Australia and New Zealand.
The ticket figures released by soccer’s global governing body indicate that this year’s edition is on track to surpass the 1.1 million overall attendance record set four years ago at France 2019.
Ahead of the tournament’s opening game on 20th July, FIFA said it was expecting fans from more than 120 countries to attend, with the World Cup being expanded to 32 teams for the first time.
The organisation also shared a list of the top ten ticket-buying countries for the tournament, with Australia unsurprisingly topping the list, ahead of co-hosts New Zealand. The US was ranked third, with England and Qatar rounding off the top five.
FIFA’s announcement comes amid a report from the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) that the Australian Matildas’ opening World Cup game against Ireland is poised to be relocated across Sydney to Accor Stadium from the Allianz Stadium.
According to the Australian newspaper, the change in venue was made at the request of FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino, who is said to be keen for the competition’s opening match to be played in the city’s largest sporting venue and not at the recently rebuilt stadium. It means about 40,000 more fans will be able to attend, with a potential sellout crowd to become the second-largest in Women’s World Cup history.
