FIFA Women's World Cup fever: Ticket sales surpass 1m mark

The upcoming Women's World Cup, hosted by Australia and New Zealand, is shaping up to be a groundbreaking event. FIFA, the governing body of international soccer, has already sold over one million tickets for the tournament.

The impressive figure suggests that the event will attract the highest attendance in Women's World Cup history, surpassing the previous record set in Canada in 2015.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced the ticket sales milestone in an Instagram post.

In January, FIFA had already reached the half-million mark, indicating a strong demand for tickets. The tournament, scheduled to take place from July 20 to August 3, will feature a total of 64 matches, making it the biggest Women's World Cup in terms of the number of games played.

The 2023 edition will be the first Women's World Cup to be jointly hosted by two countries and will also introduce an expanded format with 32 teams competing. This development is expected to draw even more fans to the stadiums. In the previous edition held in France in 2019, the tournament attracted 1.13 million spectators, averaging around 21,756 fans per game.

Another significant change for this year's Women's World Cup is FIFA's new payment structure for players. Every participant in the tournament will receive a minimum of $30,000, and players from the winning team will receive $270,000 each. Compared to the 2019 tournament, the prize pool for the upcoming event has increased significantly to $110 million, marking a substantial step forward. However, it is worth noting that the prize money for the Women's World Cup still lags far behind that of the men's tournament, which paid out $440 million in 2022. FIFA has expressed its commitment to achieving pay equity by the 2027 Women's World Cup.

In light of the overwhelming ticket sales and the positive momentum building around the tournament, FIFA is anticipating an extraordinary Women's World Cup. With matches scheduled across various stadiums, including the 83,500-capacity Stadium Australia, fans from around the world will have the opportunity to witness the stars of women's football shine on the global stage.

The enthusiasm surrounding the event suggests that women's soccer is gaining increasing recognition and support, and the 2023 Women's World Cup is poised to be a historic moment in the sport's history.