2023 World Cup on pace to break attendance record for women’s sports

The 2023 World Cup is on pace to break the attendance record for a women’s sports event after surpassing 1 million tickets sold with six weeks remaining until the tournament kicks off in Australia and New Zealand.

As of Thursday, FIFA had sold 1,032,884 tickets for the tournament, which begins on July 20, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in an Instagram post. That number is more than double the total from January, when FIFA said it had surpassed 500 thousand tickets sold.

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A post shared by Gianni Infantino - FIFA President (@gianni_infantino)

The tournament is expected to break the attendance record for a standalone women’s sports event, set at the 2015 World Cup in Canada, which attracted 1.35 million spectators. The tournament already has surpassed those from the 2019 World Cup in France, which brought in 1.13 million people.

“The future is women, thanks to the fans for supporting what will be the greatest FIFA Women’s World Cup ever!” Infantino said in a statement. “The momentum is building in the host countries and across the globe, and I look forward to seeing you there to witness the stars of women’s football shine on the world stage.”

FIFA has moved Australia’s opening match against Ireland on July 20 to the 83,500-capacity Stadium Australia, the largest stadium in the tournament. The move came as a result of what FIFA described as a “significant interest in tickets.” Australia’s opener was slated for Sydney Football Stadium, which holds approximately 45,000 spectators.

Fans from more than 120 countries have purchased tickets, and the United States ranking in the top 10 in ticket sales at the start of the year, per FIFA.

More than 1 million tickets have already been sold for the 2023 Women's World Cup and the tournament is on pace to break the 2015 record 📈 pic.twitter.com/G1VcW8oMU6

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) June 9, 2023