Two Attendance Records Broken On Day One Of 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup

A total of 117,921 fans attended the first two games of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. Attendance records were broken in both New Zealand and Australia.

Robert Summerscales | Jul 20, 2023

Two Attendance Records Broken On Day One Of 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup /

A total of 117,921 spectators attended the first two games of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup on Thursday.

The tournament kicked off with New Zealand beating Norway 1-0 in front of 42,137 fans at Eden Park in Auckland.

That set a new record for the biggest ever crowd at a soccer game - either men's or women's - in New Zealand.

A photo taken during a game at the 2023 Women's World Cup between New Zealand and Norway, which was watched live by 42,137 fans at Auckland's Eden Park — New Zealand beat Norway 1-0 in front of 42,137 fans at Auckland's Eden Park :: IMAGO/Bildbyran/Vegard Grott

The previous record had been set in 2017 when 37,034 supporters filled the Wellington Regional Stadium to watch New Zealand vs Peru in a qualifying playoff for the 2018 Men's World Cup.

Meanwhile, the biggest crowd for a women's match in New Zealand prior to Thursday had been 16,162. That record was set at the 2008 Under-17 Women's World Cup final when North Korea beat the USA at Auckland's North Harbour Stadium.

Another record fell later on Thursday when 75,784 fans watched Australia beat Ireland 1-0 in Sydney.

That smashed the record for a women's soccer game in Australia. The previous record - 50,629 - had been set earlier this month when the Matildas beat France in a friendly in Melbourne.

A photo taken during a game at the 2023 Women's World Cup between Australia and Ireland, which was watched live by 75,784 fans at Sydney's Stadium Australia — Australia beat Ireland 1-0 in front of 75,784 fans at Sydney's Stadium Australia :: IMAGO/Inpho Photography/Ryan Byrne

Published Jul 20, 2023

ROBERT SUMMERSCALES

Robert Summerscales launched FanNation Futbol in February 2022. Rob is a British journalist who previously spent two years on the sports desk at the Daily Mail in London, having earlier served as editor of CaughtOffside.com. He has been to the last two FIFA Men's World Cups, in Russia and Qatar, and is looking forward to completing his hat-trick in North America in 2026.