Women's FIFA attendees 'exceeded expectations', up by 30% from 2019
Data shows that more than 1,715,000 tickets have been sold overall so far for the FIFA Women's World Cup, exceeding the initial selling target of 1.3 million.
According to FIFA on Friday, the Women's World Cup attendees were up nearly 30% from 2019, demonstrating that the tournament in Australia and New Zealand had "exceeded expectations in many ways."
So far, per the data, after 48 matches so far, 1,222,839 fans passed through the entrances, marking a 29% increase as opposed to the 48 matches held in France four years ago during the last Women's World Cup.
The average crowd at this World Cup is a little over 25,000, and while there have been sell-out crowds, games have been better attended in Australia than in New Zealand.
Less than 7,000 watched Japan beat Costa Rica 2-0 in New Zealand's Dunedin, while more than 1,715,000 tickets have been sold overall so far - exceeding the initial selling target of 1.3 million.
Data further displayed that the most watched Women's World Cup group stage game ever in America was the United States' against the Netherlands.
FIFA women's football chief Sarai Bareman told AFP: "I'm confident by the final we will have more than 1.9 million fans having walked through the stadium gates," adding: "The tournament has been incredible so far, it has exceeded our expectations in many ways."
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Broadcast figures worldwide, she continued, have also been "overwhelmingly positive." Bareman noted that more interest is growing in women's football as matches become more competitive.
Back in April, FIFA predicted the women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand would be a "watershed" moment that shifts the game to another level, with the target to rival the men's version eventually.
Bareman told NewsCorp Australia that more than two billion viewers were expected to tune in, double the previous tournament in France, won by the United States, commenting that she believed the event would be a major turning point and a driver for social change.
Last year's European Championship runners-up, Germany, Brazil, and Italy, alongside Olympic champions Canada, were all phased out in the group stage, while Morocco, Nigeria, Jamaica and South Africa instead went up.
This World Cup was a win for New Zealand, however, as its women's team garnered three points from the opening game against Norway in a 1-0 victory. It was the national team's first-ever in the tournament, as Hannah Wilkinson scored the only goal to put the Ferns ahead in the 48th minute.
The game was attended by more than 42,000 fans in Aukland, which also marks the largest crowd in the country's football history. The national team has been unable to secure a victory in its previous 15 matches, making this win essential for a successful campaign.