FIFA president Gianni Infantino urged followers to “seize the moment” on July 19 and snap up Women’s World Cup tickets, with the opening match but to promote out on the eve of the event.
There have lengthy been considerations about gross sales in New Zealand, which can stage the opening recreation on July 20 when the co-hosts face Norway on the 50,000-capacity Eden Park in Auckland.
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Australia play the Republic of Ireland within the second recreation on July 21 in a sell-out at Sydney’s Stadium Australia, which may maintain about 80,000 followers.
FIFA secretary-general Fatma Samoura mentioned that 1.375 million tickets have been bought for the month-long event, surpassing the determine for the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France.
That event had 24 groups, in comparison with 32 for the upcoming one.
As of late July 19, tickets have been nonetheless accessible on FIFA’s official web site for nearly all World Cup matches, together with New Zealand’s conflict with former champions Norway and each semi-finals.
“My only message that I want to get out here is seize the moment, be proud of what you have been able to achieve here, in New Zealand, in Australia,” Infantino informed reporters in Auckland.
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“Be proud of what will be the biggest event — not just sports event — that has been organised here so far,” he added at a press convention that was way more low key than his interventions eventually 12 months’s males’s World Cup in Qatar.
“Today I feel tired because I just landed, but I feel very happy,” he mentioned in a playful nod to a controversial speech he delivered in Doha when he claimed to really feel “gay”, “disabled” and “a migrant worker”.
Sitting alongside Infantino — who was extra reserved than typical — Samoura mentioned FIFA had reached its “expectation in terms of numbers” of tickets bought.
“However, we still have tickets available for some matches so my only plea is don’t wait until the last moment,” she added.
While Australia, led by one of many world’s greatest gamers in Sam Kerr, are hoping to take advantage of residence benefit to go far on the event, New Zealand’s goals are rather more modest.
The Football Ferns, ranked twenty sixth on the planet, have by no means received a match in any of their 5 earlier appearances on the World Cup.
“Our goal is pretty clear. We want to win our first World Cup match. We want to make it out of the group,” captain Ali Riley mentioned forward of assembly a Norway facet that includes former Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg.
Also in Group A are debutants the Philippines and Switzerland.
Australia’s captain Kerr, the unofficial face of the event, is relishing enjoying in entrance of a packed home in opposition to the Irish in Sydney.
The Matildas are among the many favourites and in ominous kind.
“We are really confident, but for us it’s just about the first game,” mentioned the prolific Chelsea striker.
“Right now we are playing that game with no other game in mind, so that’s our final at this point.”
The United States, who’re aiming to win an unprecedented third consecutive World Cup and fifth general, start their marketing campaign in opposition to minnows Vietnam in Auckland on Saturday.
The greatest problem to the reigning champions is anticipated to come back from final 12 months’s Euro winners England, who begin in opposition to Haiti on Saturday.