Australia’s opening match at this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup will now take place at Accor Stadium as part of plans to maximise attendance for the fixture.
The match had initially been due to take place at Allianz Stadium, which has a capacity of 42,500, but demand for tickets has prompted the switch to the much larger Accor Stadium (also known as Stadium Australia).
The game between Australia and the Republic of Ireland will still kick-off at 8pm local time on July 20. Australia is co-hosting the World Cup alongside New Zealand, with the opening match of the tournament to take place earlier that day between New Zealand and Norway at Auckland’s Eden Park. It is hoped that the two fixtures will attract a cumulative attendance of over 100,000.
Accor Stadium had originally been due to host knockout matches at the World Cup but significant interest in tickets for Australia’s opener against Ireland has prompted FIFA to move the fixture to Sydney’s biggest venue. Additional single-match passes for the match will go on sale on February 24.
Read more on our sister site: TheStadiumBusiness.com.