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The Matildas’ opening match of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup on 20th July has been moved from Sydney’s Allianz Stadium to the city’s Accor Stadium as a result of demand tickets.

With world football governing body FIFA seeking to capitalise on “significant interest” in tickets for the tournament co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, the move will see an additional 40,000 tickets sold for the opening Australia v Ireland game at the 83,500-capacity former Olympic venue.

With the opening match of the tournament set to take place earlier on 20th July between New Zealand and Norway at Auckland’s Eden Park it is anticipated that the two fixtures will attract a cumulative attendance of over 100,000.

The decision to move the match follows a thorough assessment of the competition and operational implications, as well as a comprehensive consultation process and agreement with key stakeholders.

Fans who had already purchased tickets for the match at Allianz Stadium will be notified by email that the fixture has been relocated, with their tickets to remain valid at Accor Stadium.

Accor Stadium is already hosting an NRL State of Origin match on 12th July and FIFA normally requires a two-week buffer period for other events taking place at tournament venues.

However, organisers are understood to be confident that the pitch at the venue (to be known as Stadium Australia during the tournament) will recover in time.

Explaining the move, FIFA Secretary General, Fatma Samoura commented “FIFA’s mission is to organise the biggest and best Women’s World Cup in history this year, and fans, those who bring colour, passion, and atmosphere to stadiums, will be such an integral part of the tournament’s success.

“With this in mind, we have taken a decision that will enable over 100,000 fans to attend the opening match day, providing more opportunities for supporters to engage with the FIFA Women’s World Cup as a month of football we will never forget gets underway.”

Football Australia Chief Executive, James Johnson added “it’s very exciting news. The move from Sydney Football Stadium to Stadium Australia is big for Australian football and highlights the confidence which we have in the CommBank Matildas to draw a huge crowd for the first match of the tournament in Australia.

“This is a major worldwide competition, and it really places Australia and New Zealand right at the heart and the centre of world football for a month. As we witnessed in 2022, these competitions transcend sport and really bring the Australian community together.

“This move, which Football Australia strongly advocated for, completely aligns with our positioning of the CommBank Matildas as one of our two iconic national teams and one of Australia’s most loved sporting teams. It will ensure that more people can now be a part of the opening match of the CommBank Matildas at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.”

Earlier this month, FIFA announced it had sold more than half a million tickets for the tournament with six months to go before the tournament kick-off.

Summer Concerts
Accor Stadium is also set to host a series of concerts over the next five weeks.

The concerts commence this week with the Red Hot Chili Peppers (with Post Malone) playing on 2nd and 4th February, followed by Ed Sheeran on 24th and 25th February and Harry Styles on 3rd and 4th March.

Images: Sydney Opera House is lit up with the Matildas colours and star Sam Kerr to celebrate Australia and New Zealand’s successful 2023 World Cup bid (top) and Sydney's Accor Stadium (below).

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