The upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is reportedly on track to become the most attended standalone women's sporting event in history, despite ticket sales on this side of the Tasman being concerningly low.
On Friday, FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced that over one million tickets had been sold for the event, which kicks off on July 20.
The 1,032,884 tickets claimed surpasses the total amount of sales for the last tournament in France in 2019.
The bulk of those sales have been in Australia. Last week, FIFA told AFP that NZ tickets had accounted for just 220,000 of the 930,000 they'd sold to date.
"Delighted to share with the world that FIFA has passed one million tickets sold," Infantino said.
"This means that with over one month to go before kickoff, we have surpassed the numbers sold for France 2019, thus meaning that Australia & New Zealand 2023 is on track to become the most attended FIFA Women's World Cup in history.
"The future is women, thanks to the fans for supporting what will be the greatest FIFA Women's World Cup ever.
"The momentum is building in the host countries and across the globe, and I look forward to seeing you there to witness the stars of women’s football shine on the world stage."
Of the 64 total matches at the tournament, 29 will be held in New Zealand across venues in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, and Dunedin.
The opening match in Sydney has been relocated to the 83,500-capacity Stadium Australia to account for huge public demand.
That game will take place hours after the Football Ferns raise the curtain on the tournament with their clash against Norway at Auckland's Eden Park.
