Excitement for next month’s FIFA Women’s World Cup continues to grow Down Under.
Co-host Australia has already sold out its July 20 opening match against Ireland at the 80,000-seat Stadium Australia. Women’s World Cup CEO Dave Beeche said fellow co-host New Zealand’s opening match against Norway the same day is also expected to sell out at Auckland’s 40,000-capacity Eden Park.
Team USA will play twice in Auckland and once in Wellington during the group stage. Should the Americans advance to the knockout round, they could play at venues in Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne.
Earlier this month, FIFA announced it had already sold more than 1 million tickets for the tournament — putting it on track to beat the attendance record set by Canada 2015.
Next Big Thing
Soccer officials in the host countries are clearly hoping to carry on surging momentum for the world’s game beyond this year via the potential for another major tournament.
Football Australia and New Zealand Football confirmed they are going to explore a joint bid for the 2029 Club World Cup — which will be the second refreshed iteration of a tournament that expands to 32 teams in 2025, when it will be played in the U.S.
