BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Ticket sales are nearing 1.6 million for the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand after surpassing pre-tournament targets and FIFA revised record expectations.
The previous record was around 1.35 million who attended a 52-game tournament in Canada in 2015. The 2023 edition has been expanded to 32 teams and will include 64 matches.
Soccer’s international governing body said a combined 547,713 fans attended the first 21 games across Australia and New Zealand. The revised total target of 1.5 million was surpassed on Monday.
FIFA said the average of 26,802 per game to that point was a 48% increase from France 2019, where the average after 21 games was 18,068. It did not give a breakdown for Australia and New Zealand.
The opening games on July 20 set records for women’s soccer matches in both…