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Behind another clutch performance from Sam Kerr, Chelsea FC defeated Manchester United for its third consecutive Women’s FA Cup title — and it’s part of a much bigger victory for women’s soccer.
The Blues accomplished the feat in front of a record 77,390 spectators at Wembley Stadium — smashing the previous record for the competition (as expected) and setting a world record for a women’s domestic club match.
It continues a promising trend of increasing attendance for the women’s game.
- In April 2022, 91,648 fans packed into Camp Nou to watch Barcelona beat Wolfsburg in the Women’s UEFA Champions League semi-final, eclipsing the 1999 Women’s World Cup Final in the U.S. (90,185) to set the world record for a women’s soccer match.
- In September, Arsenal set the Women’s Super League attendance record when 47,367 fans watched a match vs. Tottenham at Emirates Stadium.
- That same month, a match between San Diego Wave and Angel City FC set the NWSL attendance record when a sold-out crowd of 32,000 turned out at Snapdragon Stadium.
That momentum could continue into this summer when the 2023 Women’s World Cup kicks off from Australia and New Zealand.
While the attendance at the international tournament should be encouraging, some of the media rights to showcase the tournament are still being worked out: FIFA president Gianni Infantino recently threatened to black out the tournament in many of Europe’s biggest countries due to extremely low media rights offers.
