The ninth Women’s World Cup AU/NZ 2023 made history on Sunday, as 27,706 enthusiastic fans filled Melbourne Rectangular Stadium to witness Sweden’s thrilling penalty shootout win over the United States in the last 16 stage. This remarkable turnout brought the total attendance for the tournament to an impressive 1,367,037.

This new attendance record surpasses the previous milestone set during the 2015 tournament in Canada, which drew in 1,353,506 fans. It is worth noting that the 2015 event included double-header matches in its schedule.

Looking back at the Women’s World Cup in France four years ago, it saw a considerable crowd as well, with 1,131,312 fans attending 52 individual matches. The average crowd size during that tournament was 21,756.

This year’s tournament has been witnessing strong support from fans, with an average attendance of 26,289 for the 52 games completed as of Sunday. This figure is expected to rise significantly for the final 12 matches, as sellout crowds are anticipated to flock to the larger stadiums.

The highest average attendance ever recorded at a Women’s World Cup was during the 2007 tournament in China, where an impressive 37,218 spectators attended each match. However, it’s worth noting that the 2007 event featured only 16 teams playing 32 matches, half the number of matches being played in the current tournament across Australia and New Zealand.

The tournament’s biggest crowd so far was the 75,784 spectators who filled Stadium Australia for the co-hosts’ opening match against Ireland. This record could potentially be broken soon, as the Matildas are set to face Denmark in their last 16 clash at the same stadium.

On the other end of the spectrum, the smallest crowd recorded during the tournament was 6,992 at Dunedin Stadium in New Zealand, witnessing Japan’s 2-0 opening win over Costa Rica on July 26.

Initially, there were concerns about ticket sales in New Zealand, leading FIFA to give away 20,000 tickets. However, the largest stadium in the country, Auckland’s Eden Park, has since hosted two record crowds for a soccer match in the island nation, dispelling those concerns.

The Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand has already achieved a remarkable feat by setting a new record for ticket sales. As of last Friday, an impressive 1,715,000 tickets had been sold, easily surpassing the initial target of 1.3 million. This demonstrates the enormous popularity and enthusiasm for women’s soccer, making this tournament a resounding success on multiple fronts.