More than one million tickets sold for 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup 

Football Australia, the Member Co-Host Association for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023™, has announced that more than one million tickets have been sold for the 35 matches to be held in Australia (including 30 Group Stage matches, four knock-out matches across the country and the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ Final being held at Stadium Australia in Sydney on 20th August).

The CommBank Matildas’ opening group stage game will occur tonight at 8.00 pm AEST against the Republic of Ireland in front of over 70,000 at Stadium Australia.

While the overall ticket sales across both host countries of 1.3 million have exceeded expectations, the tournament has not yet surpassed the stretched target of 1.5 million ticket sales. However, the tournament is in a strong position to break this number in the near future, which will be well in excess of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup held in France, where 1.1 million tickets were sold which is the current event record.

The overwhelming response from fans across Australia, New Zealand and around the world demonstrates the growing popularity and global appeal of women's football. The passion and enthusiasm demonstrated by supporters have reinforced the significance of this monumental event and the positive impact it will have on the women's game.

James Johnson, Football Australia Chief Executive enthused "we are thrilled with the strong ticket sales for the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023. Surpassing one million tickets sold in Australia alone is a remarkable achievement, and we are confident in our ability to break the 1.5 million ticket sales target across both host countries soon. This is a testament to the unwavering support for women's football and the excitement surrounding the tournament.

“The tournament has captured the imagination of football enthusiasts from all corners of the globe, with fans eagerly securing their seats to witness the world's best female footballers competing on the grandest stage. The positive trajectory of ticket sales puts us in an excellent position to achieve our target and highlights the global interest in the FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

"These strong ticket sales not only reflect the immense popularity of women's football but also underline the historic nature of this event. With an expected worldwide broadcast audience of two billion people, the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 will showcase the extraordinary talent and athleticism of female players to a global audience. We are excited to witness the impact of this tournament on inspiring future generations, which is propelling women's football to new heights."

Three dead in Auckland shooting hours before Women's World Cup opener
The opening FIFA Women's World Cup opener at Auckland’s Eden Park is to go ahead this evening unaffected by a shooting in centre of the city this morning that saw the death of two victims and a gunman.

Six other people, including police officers, were injured in incident that occurred at around 7.30am on a construction site in the central business district.

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has advised that the incident was not being seen as an act of terrorism explain that the public could be assured police had neutralised the threat and there was no ongoing risk.

World football governing body FIFA expressed its "deepest condolences" to the victims' families and said it was in communication with New Zealand authorities.

It added that it had been informed the shooting was an isolated incident and confirmed that the opening match would go ahead as planned.