Fans rush for 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup tickets

 More than half-a-million tickets have been sold for this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, it has been revealed.

It is a strong start for the tour­nament, which is due to open in Auckland on July 20 and conclude with the final in Sydney on August 20, although plenty of tickets remain available and no match has sold out.

Tickets have been bought by fans in 120 countries so far, FIFA claims.

“Ticket sales for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 are off to a great start and it’s not just home fans in Australia and New Zealand purchasing tickets,” FIFA Secretary-General, Fatma Samou­ra, said.

“Fans residing in the United States of America, England, Qatar, Germany, China, Canada, the Republic of Ireland and France are the top 10 purchasers of FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 tickets so far.

FIFA have set a target of selling 1.5 million tickets for the tourna­ment, bettering the mark of 1.35 million set at the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada.

The event in France four years ago attracted a total of 1.13 mil­lion fans.

Women’s football is more popu­lar than it has ever been.

Last year’s UEFA Women’s Eu­ropean Championship saw record crowds.

This included for the final when 87,192, a record attendance for a women’s international fixture in Europe and for any European Championship finals match, saw hosts England lift the trophy by beating Germany 2-1 at Wembley Stadium.

A number of tickets still have to be released to the public, and plen­ty more are expected to go on sale over the coming months, including for the most in-demand games.

This includes the final at the 83,500-capacity Stadium Australia, built for the 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sydney.

FIFA is currently investigat­ing whether to switch Australia’s opening Group B match on July 20 against Ireland, currently due to take place at Allianz Stadium, which hosts 45,000, to Stadium Australia.

Co-hosts New Zealand will kick off the tournament earlier that day when they play Norway in Group A at Eden Park in Auckland.

Ireland and Vietnam are two of five countries making their debuts in the expanded 32-team tournament, along with Morocco, Philippines and Zambia.

—Insidethegames.biz