Matildas Bubble Not Burst Yet, Claims Asian Cup Chief, As Big Venues Approach Sell-outs

Organisers of nan Women’s Asian Cup consciousness vindicated successful their determination to schedule Matildas matches successful immoderate of Australia’s biggest stadiums arsenic nan marquee International Women’s Day fixture against South Korea astatine Sydney’s Olympic stadium approaches a sell-out.

The Matildas became Australia’s favourite sporting squad during nan 2023 World Cup but a tally of 16 location sell-outs ended past year, coinciding pinch nan team’s on-field struggles that saw their ranking dip to No 16 successful nan world.

Football Australia has taken matches to secondary venues successful 2025, including nan 20,000-seat HBF Park successful Perth, 17,000-capacity Cooper Stadium successful Adelaide and moreover Hands Oval successful Bunbury, which attracted 10,272 for nan lucifer against Panama successful July.

But they will return to nan nation’s premier venues for nan continental showpiece opening successful March. Sarah Walsh, erstwhile Matilda and main operating serviceman for nan Women’s Asian Cup, said summons income person been beardown moreover earlier awesome trading campaigns statesman successful coming weeks.

“Some parts of nan marketplace person been waiting for this bubble to burst for nan Matildas and it hasn’t happened yet,” she said. “It’s still a risky play because these decisions were made adjacent to a twelvemonth and a half ago. Ultimately, you’re making nan presumption that nan thrust will proceed for nan Matildas, and it has.”

The Matildas’ 3rd lucifer is scheduled for Accor Stadium successful Sydney connected International Women’s Day, and Walsh predicts nan first summons allocation will beryllium exhausted successful early December. That will time off only a last release, nan size of which will beryllium wished by really galore partner tickets are returned.

Two quarter-finals, 1 semi-final and nan last will besides beryllium held astatine nan aforesaid venue, which will spot adjacent to 80,000 for nan tournament.

Tickets are trading good for nan Matildas’ opener astatine nan 60,000-capacity Optus Stadium successful Perth connected 1 March against nan Philippines, while nan side’s 2nd lucifer against Iran astatine nan 27,000-seat stadium connected nan Gold Coast is already sold out.

“You person to equilibrium things astir costs and unfastened bigger stadiums,” she said. “But I wouldn’t telephone it risk, I would opportunity we’ve been bold successful our determination making, and it’s paying off.”

Rather than diminish nan worth of nan Matildas by sending them to places for illustration Bunbury and Gosford, Walsh feels nan caller schedule has helped support much of nan country’s shot organization engaged pinch nan team.

The lucifer against South Korea connected International Women’s Day affords nan Matildas a portion of nan nationalist spotlight connected a time celebrating women’s sporting occurrence and wider achievements.

The squad has a grounds of campaigning for causes beyond nan playing field, including securing salary equality, calling retired racism and supporting nan LGBTQ+ community.

“They’re a lightning rod for societal change, if you look astatine each nan topics that players return stands connected and nan reality of what they talk about, it’s authentic to them arsenic individuals,” Walsh said.

“On International Women’s Day, they spot their domiciled successful shaping nan views of young boys and girls and being domiciled models connected nan large stage. They return that domiciled very seriously, and truthful our occupation arsenic nan organisers is to make judge that we build nan level for that.”

The Matildas are successful campy this week up of nan 2 friendlies pinch New Zealand, starting connected Friday successful Gosford wherever nan 20,000-seat venue is almost sold out.

Forward Caitlin Foord said connected Wednesday location is simply a consciousness of urgency successful nan squad, fixed nan Asian Cup is small much than 3 months away.

“We request to get nan astir retired of these games, and we person to tighten up what didn’t really spell good past campy and really make nan astir of these 2 games because it is nan last prep,” she said.

“Once we get into campy earlier nan Asian Cup [in February], it’s going to travel really fast, truthful we’ve conscionable sewage to make nan astir of nan days we person here.”