With Matildas’ matches becoming hot tickets, Australia’s run to the Women’s World Cup semifinals and the expanded 32-team format have helped set records for attendance at the tournament.
Soccer’s international governing body said Tuesday that 1.77 million tickets have been sold for the tournament being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, with a total 1,734,028 attendance for the 60 games.
The record match attendance for the 2023 edition is 75,784 for three games under a restricted capacity at Sydney’s Stadium Australia, which was built for the 2000 Olympics.
FIFA said the average crowd for games across the 10 venues has been 28,900, more than 7,000 above the average for games at the 2019 edition in France and more than 4,000 above the historical average at the eight previous Women’s World Cups.
The competition was expanded from 24 to 32 teams for this edition.
Australia reached the semifinals for the first time with a 7-6 penalty shootout win over France in Brisbane last Saturday, and will take on European champion England on Wednesday in Sydney for a spot in the final against either Sweden or Spain.
The country will be almost at a standstill when the semifinal is staged.
The Australian men's basketball team, preparing for the FIBA World Cup starting later this month, is just one of the many teams adjusting match or practice times to ensure they can watch the national women's soccer team.
Led by Atlanta Hawks guard Patty Mills, the Boomers moved up their warmup game against Brazil by a few hours on Wednesday so they and their supporters could see the broadcast of the Women's World Cup semifinal.
“The Matildas have really captured the nation this World Cup,” Mills said. “Just like the rest of the country, our Boomers team have been locked in for each game, watching it as a team.”
© Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
10 Comments
Login to comment
Speed
They still don't deserve the same pay as the men.
Dr.Cajetan Coelho
FIFA 2023 Women's World Cup festivities contain far-reaching emancipatory content for the well being of the girl child across all continents.
fatrainfallingintheforest
Helped by the 20,000 tickets they had to give away to matches in New Zealand.
https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/sport/fifa-women-s-world-cup-2023-lack-of-sales-prompts-20-000-free-ticket-giveaway-in-new-zealand/
But good for women's sport. Men have been successfully guilted into pretending it is as exciting as men's sport.
lostrune2
That's why the Aussies punch above their weight and have winning sports tradition despite a relatively small population - because they support all their sports athletes
Good for them
Those who don't support their women have losing traditions for a nation
ClippetyClop
It isn't as good as men's football but it has been just as dramatic.
I don't know of any men (including myself) who watch it because they have been 'guilted' into doing so. Maybe you have though.
fatrainfallingintheforest
I don't watch soccer. Too much crying, falling over and worrying about haircuts and fingernails.
The women are pretty bad at all that, too.
Jimizo
No guilt.
For me, women’s football is the second most exciting sport to watch after men’s football. Men’s rugby is probably third.
The viewing figures for the women’s game blow many men’s sports out of the water.
What sports do you watch mate?
Fighto!
You'd be a riot at parties, Mr. Negative.
This world cup has been incredibly exciting, the Sweden v Spain game just finished provided yet more thrills. Was hoping the Swedes could send it to extra time. Great win by Spain!
I've loved every game I've been able to catch - and with record breaking attendances and viewing figures, it seems millions agree!
browny1
Regardless of whether you like women's soccer/football or not, there is no escaping the fact that the world cup to date has been phenomenally successful. Both in monetary and attendance terms.
Audiences have been down in some of the "lesser" stadiums eg Dunedin(sorry), but overall many games have been packed out.
All of this in Aust / NZ where soccer takes a backseat to AFL & Rugby in Aust and a way behind 2nd to Rugby in NZ.
They naysayers were wrong in their pre-tournament assumptions. The games have delivered.
And comparing to men's soccer is well...just lame.
It's like saying I don't like watching Women's grand slam events like Wimbledom because women don't hit the ball as hard and fast and move slower.
Or I have no interest in watching women's world championship swimming because, you know .... the men are so much quicker.
Tack 10 more years onto women's soccer/football and the level of play and the interest will be beyond huge.
Guarantee esp in soccer crazy countries, the women's game will absorb an enormous amount of the total corporate sponsorship and investment.
And they won't have to beat men to get it.
njca4
NOBODY on Earth deserves the pay that some of the men are getting ...
>
Jimizo
To be fair, their narrative has changed.
The initial claim that ‘nobody’ is interested in it has been dismissed with the speed it deserved. Risible nonsense from sulking teenagers.
We are now at the stage where it is claimed that the only people who watch it do it through guilt.
I heard one beauty that people have in on the telly but don’t really watch it. I thought that was quite adorable.
I think we would be better arguing is women’s football a more popular spectacle than many men’s sports.
It already is and it’s still growing