The Matildas opening match of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup will now take place in front of almost twice as many fans as initially planned, with the game being moved from the Sydney Football Stadium to Stadium Australia — the biggest venue of the tournament.
Australia will face off against the Republic of Ireland on July 20 in their first match of the tournament, but a huge surge in interest in the game has prompted a venue shift that will allow almost double the amount of fans to get amongst it.
“FIFA’s mission is to organise the biggest and best Women’s World Cup in history this year, and fans — those who bring colour, passion, and atmosphere to stadiums — will be an integral part of the tournament’s success,” FIFA secretary-general Fatma Samoura said in a statement announcing the news.
“With this in mind, we have taken a decision that will enable over 100,000 fans to attend the opening match day, providing more opportunities for supporters to engage with the FIFA Women’s World Cup as a month of football we will never forget gets underway.”
The game will now be played at a venue with a maximum capacity of 83,500 (although it remains unclear exactly how many tickets will be available as capacity varies based on the event), which is a huge increase from the 42,500 capacity of Sydney Football Stadium.
As a result of the upgrade, the Matildas now have the ability to smash their home attendance record of 36,109 — a record currently held by a 2021 USA v Australia friendly. If it sells out, the match could also go down as one of the biggest Women’s World Cup crowds ever, second only to the 1999 Women’s World Cup final between the USA and China.
FIFA chief women’s football officer Sarai Bareman praised the move, claiming that “it’s going to be an incredible start for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.”
“Two absolutely massively matches, and we are expecting over 100,000 fans to fill those two stadiums and take in that momentous moment,” she said.
“It is going to be a huge day for women’s football because we will also have our fan festivals up and running, with tens of thousands of people there, as well as millions of fans watching on broadcast all over the world.
How to get tickets to the Matildas v Ireland at Stadium Australia
Additional tickets to the Matildas game against Ireland will go on sale at midday AEDT on February 24, 2023. Tickets are available exclusively via the FIFA website.
If previous ticket sale phases are anything to go off, the remaining tickets for the Matildas v Ireland will sell out quickly, so fans are encouraged to have their accounts ready to purchase tickets as soon as they go on sale.
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Can I watch the Matildas before the World Cup?
If the thought of waiting until July 20 to see the Matildas, don’t fret because they will be playing three matches across New South Wales as part of the Cup of Nations next month.
You can find more information on the Cup of Nations here.
