Spain vs Sweden semi-final sets attendance and TV audience records
A total of 43,217 spectators watched the semi-final at Auckland’s Eden Park, while in Spain, television audience figures peaked at 3,755,000 - a 53.6% share.
With a record audience of 43,217 spectators, Spain’s historic victory over Sweden drew the biggest crowd of all the matches played during the 2023 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand, where more than 700,000 tickets were sold for the 29 games that took place in the country.
A total of 708,743 tickets were purchased by fans to watch the antipodes matches between the 32 best teams in the world - well above the goal of 500,000 set by the New Zealand government.
Great turnout
So far, a total 1,770,000 tickets have been sold between the two co-host countries, Australia and New Zealand, for an event that continues to break records on and off the pitches, according to data provided by the FIFA.
In New Zealand, the average attendance for the 29 games was 24,439 spectators per game and the maximum attendance, which has been broken three times throughout the World Cup, was set at 43,217 for Spain’s riveting semi-final clash against Sweden at Auckland’s Eden Park - a true football spectacle for the entire 90 minutes.
Spectators saw three goals scored in a frenetic nine minute-spell, all in the last 10 minutes of the match as Spain broke their hoodoo by beating the Swedes for the first time in history and booking their place in the final - another first.
Television audience record smashed
La Roja’s resounding victory was also closely followed by hundreds of thousands of fans on television and social media. In Spain, the match was broadcast live on state television RTVE’s La 1 channel. Helped by the fact that 15 August is a national holiday, viewing figures exceeded all expectations, drawing an average audience of 1,921,000 - a 45.4% share. It was the most watched program during the whole of Tuesday and the most watched football match in the history of the Women’s World Cup.
At one point, 3,755,000 spectators were tuned in. The golden minute was registered at 11:53 hours, with an audience of 2,776,000 - a 53.6% share of all television viewing figures in Spain.
The post-game broadcast all drew excellent figures - an audience of 1,739,000 (36.8% share) stayed tuned to watch the highlights, interviews and analysis.
Australia’s figures
In Australia, euphoria has taken over the streets, bars and venues of the country after the Matildas also made history by beating France in the quarter finals in the longest and most agonizing penalty shootout ever recorded in a World Cup, in both competitions - men’s and women’s.
Despite their long history at soccer’s biggest party, Australia had never managed to qualify for a World Cup semi-final. The co-hosts have become quite a sensation of this tournament, whose one of the most iconic images was the precise moment when Cortnee Vine scored the decisive, 20th penalty in the shootout watched in real time, by almost all of the passengers on an Emirates flight.
The record attendance for matches played in Australia during this edition of the World Cup is 75,784 for three games played at Sydney’s Stadium Australia, including the group stage opener against the Republic of Ireland.
FIFA announced that the average attendance for games across the 10 venues had been 28,900 - more than 7,000 above the average for games at the 2019 edition in France and more than 4,000 above the historical average at the eight previous Women’s World Cups.