- The Women’s European Championships will kick off in Switzerland next month
- Ticket sales are close to the 2022 tournament, which used larger stadiums
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Ticket sales for the upcoming Women’s European Championship in Switzerland have already come close to matching those of Euro 2022 before a ball has even been kicked – and, according to industry figures, the ticket acquisition data is ‘mirroring what you would see from a men’s Euros’.
Just over 500,000 tickets have already been sold for this summer’s tournament, compared to the 575,000 sold during the Lionesses’ successful campaign on home soil three years ago.
It’s a monumental figure given several factors – particularly the smaller appetite for football in Switzerland compared to the UK, and the fact that the stadiums themselves are smaller.
England’s first game against France next Saturday – the fourth best-selling fixture so far – is being held at Letzigrund, a stadium with a capacity of 30,000. In comparison, their opening group-stage match at Euro 2022 took place at Old Trafford, where 68,871 were in attendance.
Matt Drew, who oversees business development at Viagogo, the leading ticketing marketplace, revealed that only 15 per cent of ticket sales have been for the showpiece final at Basel’s St Jakob-Park. This reflects a more even distribution of purchases compared to the 2022 event, where a ‘disproportionate’ number of tickets were concentrated on the final.
Drew said: ‘In England in 2022, 87,000 people went to the final. So that had a really significant impact on total ticket sales. They’re going to beat that number this year with smaller venues. What that tells you is that there’s a much more significant spread of attendance across the games.
‘We’re seeing a huge amount of interest in the opening matchday, the opening game, and the other one on that day, and obviously, just for the other big group-stage games throughout the tournament. It’s a sign of the considerable maturity of the event. The ticket acquisition data is mirroring what you would see from a men’s Euros or a mature event.
‘It’s a sign of tremendous progress in the space and the fact that the growth of women’s football is being driven by fans going to games.’
