Women’s Euro 2022: FA and Uefa target record-breaking attendances

The Football Association (FA) and Uefa are targeting record-breaking attendances at the Women’s Euro 2022.

Tickets for the tournament in England, which was set to take place this summer but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will range in price from £5 to £50.

Tickets for England matches and the knockout rounds will start from £7.50 for concessions, the FA’s head of tournament delivery Chris Bryant said.

The FA and Uefa hope to break the Women’s Euro attendance record in the opening game at Old Trafford and the record for any women’s football match played in Europe in the final at Wembley.

The respective records stand at 41,302 – the 2013 Euro final between Germany and Norway in Sweden – and 80,203 for the London 2012 Olympics final between the United States and Japan.

It had already been confirmed that England would kick off the tournament at Old Trafford on 6 July before moving on to Brighton and Southampton for their subsequent Group A games.

If they win the group, they will play in Brighton for the quarter-final on 20 July. The winner of that match will go on to a semi-final at Bramall Lane in Sheffield before the final takes place at Wembley on 31 July.

The target of selling more than 700,000 tickets would mean almost trebling the 240,045 sold for Euro 2017 in the Netherlands. Over half a million of the tickets would be available for £25 or less, the FA said.

“We are aware of the huge opportunity we have to grow the women’s game here and across Europe,” Bryant said.

“To have that legacy, we must ensure we first deliver a record-breaking tournament that captures the imagination, to provide those vital foundations.”

Fans will first be able to register their interest in a pre-sale from 13 July to 10 August this year.

The public ballot opens after the finals draw on 28 October before general sale begins in mid-February next year.

The tournament organisers are working towards venues being at full capacity but have promised a “robust” refund policy in the event that coronavirus affects the numbers allowed to attend.

The FA has also set out a legacy programme for the tournament centred around participation. It is hoped new engagement measures delivered by the host cities will attract 120,000 more girls to play football at schools or in clubs by 2024, and an additional 20,000 more women playing for leisure by the same year.

The FA’s director of women’s football Baroness Sue Campbell said: “This tournament really shines a light on the women’s game and gives us an opportunity to put the shop window out there in front of people, and it’s about making sure that the store is full of the products that people want.

“That’s our job in legacy terms to make sure we’ve got the shelves stacked, so that the little girl who is inspired by watching a Euros game can actually go and find an opportunity to play, whether that’s for fun or competition.”

There are 10 Euros venues across nine host cities, which will be paired regionally.

Barring the opening match at Old Trafford, Group A will be split between Southampton and Brighton, Group B is shared between London and Milton Keynes, Group C will be shared between Sheffield and Leigh and Group D between Rotherham and Manchester.

PA