Ireland Women’s World Cup opener moved to larger venue due to ticket demand

FIFA have switched the Republic of Ireland’s Women’s World Cup opener in Sydney against the host nation to Stadium Australia to provide a larger venue for the game due to high ticket demand.

Tickets for the original fixture had sold out but by switching to Stadium Australia additional tickets will be made available on the FIFA Ticketing Portal next month.

With a capacity of over 80,000 the stadium is the largest venue for this World Cup and had been due to only host knockout matches until today’s decision to move the match from the 42,500-capacity Sydney Football Stadium.

“FIFA’s mission is to organise the biggest and best Women’s World Cup in history this year, and fans, those who bring colour, passion, and atmosphere to Stadiums will be such an integral part of the tournament’s success,” said FIFA Secretary General, Fatma Samoura.  
 
“With this in mind, we have taken a decision that will enable over 100,000 fans to attend the opening matchday, providing more opportunities for supporters to engage with the FIFA Women’s World Cup as a month of football we will never forget gets underway.”  

The kick-off time and date of the game, which is the first match of the tournament in Australia, will be Thursday, 20 July at 20:00 (AEST) – 11am in Ireland. Earlier on that day, the opening ceremony and opening match between New Zealand and Norway will take place at Eden Park in Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau, with kick-off scheduled for 19:00 (NZST).  

Additional match tickets for Australia Ireland game go on sale on Friday 24 February 2023 at 02:00 CET at FIFA.com/Tickets.

FIFA also confirmed on Monday that over half a million tickets have already been sold for this summer's tournament. The Republic of Ireland ranked ninth amongst the 32 participating nations of ticket purchasers.

Shamrock Rovers add Chloe McCarthy to their roster https://t.co/g8PDP8ZvhLpic.twitter.com/009vzITcQy

— Extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) January 30, 2023