Menu
Download the app

SBJ subscribers – Enhance your experience with the revamped iOS app

In-Depth

Ticket demand strong, with goal to sell 1.5 million

The Canadian Soccer Association set a bold goal of selling 1.5 million tickets for the 52 FIFA Women’s World Cup matches set to be played in the country, which would nearly double the total attendees of the 2011 event held in Germany.

But roughly a week out from the event, sales have been strong and on pace to eclipse that 2011 total before a single match has been played.

More than 831,000 tickets had been sold as of May 26, compared with 845,751 for the Germany tournament, according to Richard Scott, director of communications for the National Organizing Committee for 2015 World Cup Canada.

Perhaps holding no surprise, the strongest sellers have been games that include either Canada or the U.S.
Canada’s opening match versus China in Edmonton on Saturday has more than 40,000 tickets sold, with expectations that it will sell out the 56,302-capacity Commonwealth Stadium. The two subsequent Canada group stage matches are also close to capacity.

For the U.S. team, the opening match versus Australia in Winnipeg on June 8 has fewer than 1,000 tickets remaining for the 33,500-seat Winnipeg Stadium, with a similar number expected for the team’s second match in the city June 12 vs. Sweden. The June 16 match at BC Place in Vancouver already has more than 45,000 tickets sold.

The expectation is that ticket sales will break the million mark prior to the kickoff of the tournament. To fill in the rest of that number, the hope is that Canada and the U.S. continue to advance.

The June 26 quarterfinal at Lansdowne Stadium in Ottawa, which potentially would include the U.S. if the team finishes first in its group and wins a round of 16 match, is already 95 percent sold out.

The final, which is scheduled to be played at BC Place in Vancouver on July 5 and can seat more than 54,000, is already sold out.

FIFA hospitality rights holder Match Hospitality is selling hospitality packages for the tournament. Scott said that while the committee has not been privy to exact sales figures for those packages, preliminary reports mirror ticket sales. Match Hospitality did not respond to a request for comment.

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2015/06/01/In-Depth/Tickets.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2015/06/01/In-Depth/Tickets.aspx

CLOSE