The U.S. women's national soccer team's quarterfinal against China in Ottawa tomorrow night "has become the hottest ticket of the Women's World Cup, with seats going at more than five times face value," according to Martin Rogers of USA TODAY. Factors include the "mouthwatering prospect of a rematch" of the '99 final and Ottawa's "relative proximity to the U.S. border." The fact that Lansdowne Stadium's capacity "is less than 30,000" could also be driving demand. StubHub Global Head of Communications Glenn Lehrman said, "Given the venue size and the sheer volume of the American traveling fans, it is no surprise that this game is so popular." Rogers notes the cheapest available seats on StubHub yesterday afternoon "were selling for $189, in an upper corner section of the stadium, where the original price was set at $35." Tickets for sections close to field level "were priced at $500 and above" (USA TODAY, 6/25). ESPN’s Bob Holtzman notes the U.S. crowd for its match Monday night against Colombia in Edmonton "was rather small,” but tomorrow night should be "much more similar to what we saw in Vancouver and Winnipeg." Lansdowne Stadium has been sold out "for a while" and it it "going to be loud." Holtzman: “Keep in mind where we are in Ottawa. It’s about an eight-hour drive from N.Y., about an eight-hour drive from Detroit. It’s a fairly accessible place for a lot of the American population. It’s going to be a loud, pro-American crowd” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 6/25).
WHOA, CANADA: The CP reported Women's World Cup organizers are "expecting another big crowd for Canada's quarter-final match with England" in Vancouver on Saturday. More than 50,000 tickets "were sold as of Tuesday for the game at BC Place Stadium." That will "push attendance for Canada's games to more than 235,000" (CP, 6/23). In Toronto, Laura Armstrong wrote attendance at Canada’s matches "has been record-breaking, but other nations aren’t getting quite as much support." Montreal has been a "major disappointment" as a host city, though organizers "are hoping numbers will swell if the U.S. makes it to the city’s semifinal match." Still, Monday's U.S.-Colombia match "only drew 19,412 to a stadium with more than 50,000 seats, meaning the lows are spread across the country" (THESTAR.com, 6/24).
