The Matildas’ Women’s World Cup opener against Ireland is set to be shifted from Allianz Stadium to Accor Stadium in a move that has the firm backing of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and will ensure a near-record crowd will be in attendance for the historic clash.
Sources have confirmed to this masthead that the change is almost certain to be made official in the coming weeks at the behest of FIFA and Infantino, who is eager to take the tournament’s first match in Australia on July 20 from Sydney’s newest stadium in Moore Park to the city’s largest venue in Olympic Park.
The initial batch of tickets for Allianz sold out almost instantly, but Accor’s 83,500-seat capacity will mean almost 40,000 more people will be given the opportunity to soak in the occasion and see Sam Kerr and her teammates take on the world No.23-ranked Irish.
Football Australia has been quietly lobbying for the relocation since the World Cup draw in Auckland four months ago, where chief executive James Johnson and Infantino – his former boss at FIFA, where he worked as head of professional football – tossed up the idea if the Matildas landed a big enough first-up opponent.
While Ireland is not considered one of the powerhouse nations of the women’s game, the country’s massive diaspora in Australia, the propensity for Irish fans to travel in huge numbers, and the Matildas’ popularity has left Football Australia and FIFA of the view that a sellout is a fait accompli.
Infantino is eager to boost as many metrics as possible for the first Women’s World Cup that FIFA is selling to broadcasters and sponsors as a standalone event, rather than bundled together with the men’s event, and sources say he wants the tournament to begin with the biggest bang possible.
TOP FIVE WOMEN’S FOOTBALL ATTENDANCES
91,648: Barcelona vs Wolfsburg, UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final (first leg), Camp Nou, 22 April 2022
91,553: Barcelona vs Real Madrid, UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final (second leg), Camp Nou, 30 March 2022
90,185: USA vs China, 1999 Women’s World Cup final, Rose Bowl, 10 July 1999
87,192: England vs Germany, UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 final, Wembley Stadium, 31 July 2022
80,203: USA vs Japan, London 2012 Olympics women’s football final, Wembley Stadium, 9 August 2012
It means the Matildas will start their home World Cup campaign in front of the biggest crowd in their history, which would shatter the home attendance record of 36,109 set when the United States visited for a pair of friendlies in late 2021.
It would also be, should it sell out, the second-biggest crowd in Women’s World Cup history, and the largest at a single match since the watershed 1999 edition in the USA, where 90,185 people watched the hosts beat China on penalties at the Rose Bowl in California.
A spokesperson for Football Australia said the federation endorsed any push to move the match to a bigger stadium to cater for the “unprecedented demand” which they say will propel the Matildas past the Wallabies and Kangaroos as the country’s third-most popular national team, behind only the men’s Test cricket team and the Socceroos.
FIFA is yet to release precise figures, but more tickets have been sold for this World Cup in the first six weeks than were sold for France 2019 in the first six months.
The Matildas will be playing in front of the biggest crowd in their history when they open their World Cup campaign against Ireland.Credit:Getty
Gustavsson is unsurprisingly enthused by the prospect, not just because his players will have the backing of a much bigger crowd but because of what it would mean for those who have assumed tickets will be impossible to source.
“I would love it,” he said.
“I obviously don’t want to get into the politics [of it], I’m not the one making the decision, but I’m just thinking about the people out there that are screaming for tickets, that don’t have a ticket now, to give them an opportunity to be here and support – that’s going to be once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, not just for the players but for the people in the stands, one of those that you don’t want to miss out.
“You want to say in 10 or 20 years, ‘I was there’.”
Almost 40,000 more fans will get the chance to be at the Matildas’ World Cup opener with a switch in venue.Credit:Getty
The current schedule for the World Cup does not involve Accor Stadium until the round of 16, and the only snag to the plan is that the third NRL State of Origin match is to be played there on July 12 – eight days before the Matildas face Ireland.
FIFA usually requires a two-week bump-in period for World Cup venues, but sources are confident that the timing can be worked around and whatever damage there is to the turf can be repaired quickly enough.
FIFA’s chief women’s officer Sarai Bareman told the Herald and The Age that while no final decisions have been made yet, the stadium shift is being closely looked at.
“At this stage, nothing has changed, but we are very clear that we want this to be the biggest and most successful Women’s World Cup we’ve ever had. And that means we want as many fans as possible to be able to access it, so nothing’s off the table,” Bareman said.
“The Matildas are obviously a massively popular team, they’re one of the marquee teams in Australia, across all sporting codes. If we can get more fans able to access it, that’s something we have to explore.”
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