FIFA Fan Festivals exceeded all expectations

FIFA has today shared that the FIFA Fan Festivals held in the nine host cities for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ exceeded all expectations, with many venues reaching capacity on several nights during the tournament.

The FIFA Fan Festivals capped of a month of football and family fun with tens of thousands cheering Spain to victory around Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

From the moment the tournament kicked off on 20th July, the FIFA Fan Festivals became the focal point of celebration for thousands who enjoyed this type of football experience without entering a stadium.

The FIFA Fan Festivals have been a regular feature of the FIFA World Cup since 2006, but this year’s tournament in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand has been the first time this fan experience has been offered in all host cities of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Even during times without matches, fans continued to stream into the venues to enjoy the entertainment, the FIFA Store and the food from award-winning local chefs.

FIFA shares that after the final whistle in the Final, 777,000 fans had been part of the FIFA Fan Festival, with the attendance peaking on 12th August when 68,000 people across all venues watched the Matildas beat France in a dramatic quarter-final.

All 64 matches were beamed live across massive screens, while high-profile musical acts, DJs, and other fun family football activities provided additional entertainment for visitors of all ages.

The entertainment included some of the biggest names in the Australian and Kiwi music industry with artists like Ladyhawke, Jessica Mauboy, Kimbra and San Cisco among the long list of high-profile acts, as well as up-and-coming local talents.

This week, the fans watching the semi-final between Spain and Sweden at the FIFA Fan Festival in Sydney were treated by Australian singer-songwriter Tones and I performing the tournament’s walkout theme "Bring it On”, which has resonated throughout the tournament.

The high number of young families at the FIFA Fan Festival demonstrated the venues were seen as a safe place to enjoy football, with organisers implementing strict access requirements and making the smoke-free venues fully accessible.

Alongside the FIFA Fan Festival, football fans in Sydney and Auckland were also able to enjoy special exhibitions from the FIFA Museum. The exhibition "Calling the Shots: Faces of Women's Football" at the FIFA Museum presented by Hyundai in Sydney/Gadigal welcomed over 50,000 enthusiastic fans, families and individuals from all walks of life, while the "Rainbow of Shirts" pop-up exhibition area in Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau provided an exclusive experience for all the visitors to the FIFA Fan Festival.

FIFA acknowledges that “the Host Cities completed a logistical masterclass by feeding hundreds of thousands of fans, including serving hundreds of thousands of beverages, in a sustainable manner by using recyclable packaging, segregating waste and providing excellent links to public transport.”

FIFA Women’s World Cup mascot Tazuni™ made an appearance at all nine venues and thousands of fans took the opportunity immortalise their World Cup experience with now the most famous penguin in the world.

Visitors also made sure to secure another type of memento from the official FIFA Store with hundreds of thousands of shirts, scarves, beanies and other items flying off the shelves in every city, any many stores running out of some stock well before the Final.

Images. Credit FIFA