Australia and New Zealand are gearing up to play joint hosts to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023. Soccer fans from around the world will descend on our two nations for the 9th Women’s World Cup tournament, set to kick off Thursday, July 20. Getting tickets to the games is a serious question.
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is set to be the biggest all-female sporting event in history. For the first time, this tournament will feature 32 national teams, promising to be an incredible showcase of the best female soccer players from around the globe.
The tournament will take place across nine different host cities in both countries, including Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Auckland, and Wellington, among others.
As anticipation builds for the tournament, most soccer enthusiasts have already locked in their trips and secured their tickets. However, there are still ways that last-minute fans can secure their seats.
With so much excitement surrounding the event, it can be overwhelming to navigate the process of buying tickets. In this article, we will provide you with all the essential information you need to know about purchasing tickets for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup so that you can have the best possible experience at the games.
How to Get Tickets to the 2023 Women’s World Cup
As with every major sporting event that FIFA organisers, the international sporting conglomerate has ticket sales on lock.
The official FIFA ticketing portal can be accessed here, and it is the only authorised sales channel. In order to get a ticket, you need to create your own FIFA ticket account which has to match your ticket information.
If you’re an Aussie, you can buy tickets here. If you’re a Kiwi, head to this link. If you’re buying tickets as an international fan, here’s the link you need.
Fair warning, however, many of the games are already sold out. Pre-sale tickets went live in October last year and, by January, FIFA had announced that 500,000 tickets had already been sold.
On 11 April, to celebrate 100 days until the start of the games, an extra 800,000 tickets were released, many of which have already been snapped up. These are known as the ‘phase two’ tickets.
A final round of tickets went on sale on 6 June. A quarter of a million of these ‘last minute’ tickets were released and sold like hotcakes.
FIFA has already been in hot water after pre-sale fans who purchased tickets in October reported that they weren’t aware their allocation put them right up in the nosebleed sections. Many have expressed their anger at the distribution of tickets.
As of 3 July, the Matilda’s first three group stages — against Ireland, Nigeria, and Canada — have either entirely sold out or are very close to. If you’re looking to get tickets to the Brisbane game, you’d better move fast.
The Matilda’s are ranked 10th in the world, and so have a good shot at making it to the round of 16. However, these games have yet to be determined. Some eager fans have already bought Round of 16 tickets, expecting to see their team play, and these are also currently scarce. If you fancy taking a punt on a game, you can still do so now.
Australia is in Group B, meaning that they’ll either play in Sydney or Brisbane on 7 August depending on where they place. If you want to see Australia, these are the games to grab tickets to, although it’s a toss-up which game, if any, they will play.
Tickets for the quarter-finals and semi-finals are still available – but only just. Move now if you want to secure a ticket to what are sure to be nail-biting games.
Unfortunately, the final, to be played on 20 August in Sydney, has sold out.
World Cup Resale Tickets
If you’ve not managed to secure a ticket thus far, the FIFA official resale platform is going to be your best bet. Currently, tickets to every single game are available on the resale platform. However, tickets seem to be limited, sold in isolation, and moving quickly.
If you want to try your luck on a resale ticket, create a ticketing account and set up email alerts for the matches.
Tickets will no doubt be on sale on resale platforms like Tixel and Viagogo however neither of these platforms currently have events listings for the World Cup matches. FIFA have said anyone buying a resale ticket outside of their service is not guaranteed entry to the games. Proceed at your own risk here.
How Much Will World Cup Tickets Cost?
Ticket prices vary depending on the match and your country of origin but they aren’t as eye-wateringly expensive as you might expect.
Tickets are divided into categories one through three, depending on where you’re seated, although category one is arguably the least cost-effective way to get a good seat, owing to the fact you could end up like those early birds who ended up being banished to the back.
For Australia and New Zealand residents, a single match pass to see your home team, as sold during the ‘last minute’ sales phase, will set you back $60 for an adult category one seat.
Tickets to the opening match, in Auckland, sell for $80 for an adult with category one seating, as do tickets to the Matilda’s opening match and the quarter-finals. Semi-finals category one tickets go for $100 and grand final tickets are $120 a pop for category one seating.
If you’re not that bothered about who you see, and just want a ticket to a game, you can grab a group stage, non-home team pass for $15 if you take category 2 seating.
Again, though, many of the games are already sold out, so the above is largely for informational purposes.
However, on the FIFA resale platform, ticket prices will be different. FIFA rules state the tickets can’t be sold for less that 15% of their face value, or for 110% above their face value.
This means, for example, you could expect to pay between $68 and $168 for an inaugural match, adult category one ticket.
How Many Tickets Are Sold for the Women’s World Cup?
At last count, over a million tickets have been sold, out of the 1.5 million that FIFA have said they are on track to sell.
In June, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said that 1,032,884 FIFA Women’s World Cup tickets had already been sold, surpassing the previous Women’s World Cup record held by the 2019 tournament in France.
The opening match, which is sold out, will be played in the 100,000-capacity Eden Park stadium in Auckland when the Kiwis will face off against Norway.
Australia’s opening match was set to be played at the Sydney Football Stadium but had to be moved to a bigger capacity venue due to ticketing demands.
The Matildas will now play their first game against Ireland at the 83,500-capacity Stadium Australia in Sydney, up from the 45,500 Sydney Football Stadium. This match is also sold out.
Related: Female Football Fans Say World Cup Alcohol Ban Has Reduced Misogyny
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