Brisbane’s surprise $100 million economic benefit from FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023

The Queensland Government has advised that economic benefits accruing to Brisbane from hosting matches during FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 far exceeded initial estimates.

When Australia bid to host the tournament, around $30 million was forecast in economic impacts for the city. However, the actual figure reached $100 million, with $79 million direct visitor expenditure, and $21 million incrementally injected into the economy.

Brisbane was the base camp for the Matildas’ campaign, and played host to the unbelievable Quarter Final shootout win over France on 12th August.

In all, Brisbane hosted eight matches during the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 with almost 357,000 fans attending.

There were nearly 100,000 visits to the FIFA Fan Festival site at South Bank, and Brisbane welcomed more than 52,600 visitors from outside Queensland.

Over a third of visitors attended museums, galleries or other cultural events during that time, while 75% visited bars, cafes or restaurants.

Image: Matildas star Alana Kennedy during the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Quarter Final in Brisbane. Credit: Austrade.