Matildas raise a glass as wildest dreams continue: Olympic Era proves a sellout against Uzbekistan as stars cause venue headaches
Tickets to see the Matildas take on Uzbekistan for a spot at the Paris Olympics are the hottest gift in town this Christmas – with fans taking just hours to sell out Marvel Stadium.
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The Matildas have done it again – selling out a 12th consecutive stadium in record time.
It took Football Australia months to lock in a venue for the hugely anticipated clash with the major stadiums being out of action due to Pink and Taylor Swift concerts.
Marvel Stadium, which has a capacity of 53,343, was confirmed as the venue for the February 28 clash on Monday morning – a time for the game hasn’t even been set – just that it will be an evening match.
Pre-sale tickets went on sale just a few hours later.
It took fans just four hours to snap up the 25,000 pre-sale tickets available.
The remainder were snapped up just as quickly during Wednesday’s general public sale.
It is the Matildas’ 12th consecutive home game sell out.
The impressive run started with their FIFA Women’s World Cup send off against France – also at Marvel Stadium on July 14 and continued throughout the tournament – setting several new crowd attendance records in the process.
The Matildas were back on home soil in October for their Asian Qualifiers in Perth – with tickets so popular one of their matches was moved to the 60,000 seat Optus Stadium – which again sold out.
Football Australia CEO James Johnson said the Matildas’ journey over the past 12 months had been “extraordinary”.
“Starting from the heartfelt send-off match in Melbourne, through to this latest sell out in Melbourne, the Matildas have consistently captivated the hearts of the nation with almost 700,000 Australians coming together to support and celebrate this team and women’s football,” Johnson said.
“This 12th consecutive sellout in record time reflects the strength and appeal of the CommBank Matildas. It is clear that the team resonates deeply with fans across Australia and beyond and that is demonstrated in the way the nation turns out for these matches in stadiums and on television.
“Football Australia has worked diligently over the past three years to build two strong football teams in the Subway Socceroos and CommBank Matildas. This series of sold-out matches demonstrates the significant progress in promoting women’s football and celebrating what the CommBank Matildas stand for as a force for positive chance and an inspiration to millions.”
Uzbekistan are ranked 47th in the world and the Matildas 12th. The sides have never met before.
Adding to the already challenging game is the location of the matches. The first leg will be played in Uzbekistan on February 24 and the next game in Melbourne on February 28.
It is not a lot of time when you consider recovery and travel – a huge home crowd to welcome the Matildas could be just what they need to get the job done and secure a ticket to the Paris Olympics.
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