Tickets for 2015 Women's World Cup final in Vancouver sold out
Even before anyone knows which teams will be playing for the 2015 Women's World Cup title, the final is sold out. All 48,000 tickets for the July 5 championship at B.C. Place in Vancouver are gone.
Likewise, the only other match day that has been sold out (so far) is June 12, when the U.S. takes on Sweden in Winnipeg. The match at Investors Group Field is part of a doubleheader for Group D play which includes Nigeria vs. Australia. The stadium holds 26,000 people.
With former United States coach Pia Sundhage now at the helm for the Swedish women's national team, the match is one of the most anticipated in group play at the 2015 Women's World Cup.
Winnipeg officials said that American fans snapped up 10,000 tickets -- early proof that the U.S. fans will be traveling north to see the No. 2-ranked team in the world attempt to win its first Women's World Cup title since 1999. The June 8 doubleheader for Group D play featuring the U.S. vs. Australia and Nigeria vs. Sweden is close to being sold out.
FIFA and Canadian Football Association officials are hoping to reach 1.5 million in ticket sales for the month-long tournament that will showcase matches at six venues from Moncton to Vancouver. So far, more than 625,000 tickets have been sold, according to the Edmonton Sun.
With an expanded field of 24 teams for this year's Women's World Cup, up from the 16 teams that took part in the 2011 Women's World Cup in Germany, that goal could be met -- especially since fans of the U.S. team make plans to see the team play in Winnipeg (June 8 and 12) and in Vancouver on June 16.
Total attendance for the 2011 Women's World Cup in Germany was 845,751 for an average of 26,430 per match. The U.S. set the all-time attendance mark in 1999, when 1,194,215 fans saw matches en route to the Rose Bowl finale, where 90,185 fans saw the U.S. defeat China on penalty kicks. That was an all-time world record for attendance at a women's sporting event.