January 31 – FIFA has shifted the 2023 Women’s World Cup opening match in Australia to the 83,500-capacity Stadium Australia after a larger than expected demand for tickets.
The match had originally been scheduled to be played at Sydney’s new Allianz Stadium, which seats 42,500.
The co-hosted World Cup will open in Auckland, New Zealand, with the opening ceremony and opening match between New Zealand and Norway. Australia will play their first game against the Republic of Ireland on the same day.
FIFA is targeting more than 100,000 ticket sales across the two stadia for the opening day matches.
“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 such an integral part of the tournament’s success,” said FIFA Secretary General, Fatma Samoura.
“With this in mind, we have taken a decision that will enable over 100,000 fans to attend the opening matchday, 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.”
Fans who have already bought tickets for the Allianz Stadium will have their tickets switched to Stadium Australia. New single match passes for the match will go on sale February 24.
The second phase of ticket sales closes March 3 with Last-Minute Sales Phase opening April 11, 100 days prior to the opening matchday.
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