The "true total number of ticket sales and attendances at the 2015 Women's World Cup is likely to have been doubled" by organizers after "misleading reporting of double-header fixtures has led to heavily inflated figures," according to Dominic Bossi of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. More than 1 million tickets "are claimed to have been sold for the tournament in Canada" but that figure is reportedly "significantly less, with reported sales doubled for the entire first half of the tournament." For the first 24 games, reported ticket sales and attendance figures are twice the actual number, with FIFA and the Local Organizing Committee "deeming one ticket purchased for a seat at a double-header as two separate tickets in their reports." All of the first two group games of every competing nation have
"been part of two games back-to-back at the same venue with no single
match options available to fans." The forced purchase for two games and
one seat "has been used to reflect two separate ticket purchases." The LOC has set a target of 1.5 million ticket sales for the tournament. Half the games are doubleheaders. FIFA confirmed the practice "is in place for the attendance figures of each
game which has led to an inflated final figure for the tournament." A FIFA spokesperson said, "This is the way total attendances are calculated for the final reports
of all FIFA tournaments that involve doubleheaders, in order to have
consistency" (SMH, 6/15).
