Matildas Mania: Best places to watch FIFA Women’s World Cup in Sydney
The FIFA Women’s World Cup has won legions of new footy fans who are packing into stadiums, pubs and parks. See all the best venues to watch games — including Monday’s Matildas v Denmark match.
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Even the winter rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of hordes of international football fans taking over Sydney.
With the final 16 teams locked in, supporters from all corners of the world are congregating in Sydney’s parks, pubs and stadiums to bathe in the FIFA Women’s World Cup atmosphere.
“Sydney is buzzing,” Spanish expat Alejandro Garcia said after yet another Spanish goal.
“Darling Harbour is always busy with tourists.”
Mr Garcia was one of throngs of Spanish football fans at the FIFA Fan Festival in Tumbalong Park at Darling Harbour on Saturday, braving the cold and the rain to cheer on his home country.
It was the first time the Spaniard had followed the women’s tournament but, like many discovering the game this year, he’ll now be a lifelong fan.
“I love it because we are winning!” Mr Garcia said. “It’s good seeing all the support the women are getting, seeing all the people out buying merchandise and supporting all the different teams.”
Spanish fan Regina Wootton said that even at her construction job, men at work could not stop talking about the women’s football.
“There’s been a change in the way they speak, when they say football now they mean the women’s team,” she said.
While it was the Spain v Switzerland and Japan v Norway games being screened at the fan festival yesterday, Aussies and other nationalities were still out in force.
The popular live site was full of Matildas supporters, and The Sunday Telegraph spotted some rogue Netherlands, US and Colombia fans too.
So far, more than 136,000 fans have flocked to the festival, peaking last weekend with 17,000 attendees each day.
The Dutch fans will be painting Sydney orange on Sunday, with a parade set to turn heads at Moore Park ahead of their clash against South Africa.
As fans flood sports bars and spend big in retailers, the impact of the tournament will surely be felt across the business world.
But it’s the impact on the young aspiring athletes that will be this World Cup’s legacy, as plenty of future Sam Kerrs see the power of the world game light up Sydney.
Sisters Isabelle, Sophie and Lilly Chia are dedicated Queens Park FC players, and have gobbled up every moment of the Matildas action.
“I’m a big fan of the Matildas, especially Sam Kerr, she’s such a good player and she inspires a lot of people,” Sophie, 10, said.
“I want to play professional soccer when I’m older – I want to be Sam Kerr.”
A Football Australia “Legacy 23” report found Australia still has a way to go to reach parity with men’s football.
The report found 41 per cent of changeroom facilities are female friendly in Australia.
Women and girls make up 39 per cent of registered players in NSW.
PRINCESS MARY’S HAUNT PERFECT SPOT TO WATCH MATILDAS V DENMARK
Australia has Matildas mania — with record-breaking ticket sales, huge television ratings, and fans pouring into parks and pubs across Sydney to watch the Tillies play.
As the Matildas gear up for a Monday clash with Denmark, ticket sales for the FIFA Women’s World Cup have hit 1.7 million, smashing the 1.1 million sold in France 2019.
It’s not just the stadiums pulling in the crowds — the World Cup has been a winner for the Seven Network and Optus Sports.
Seven screened the electric Matildas’ victory over Canada to more than 5.32m Australians, and over at Optus the second week of the group stages attracted the largest ever viewership in the history of the platform.
Sydney itself is buzzing with excitement, every pub, sportsbar and club is raucous with fans from across the globe.
While there are countless venues streaming the Matildas games live, for one Sydney pub the upcoming match against Denmark will host a royal rivalry.
The Slip Inn, in Sydney’s CBD, was the place Princess Mary met her future husband Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark during the 2000 Olympic Games. Now the pub will host Danish and Aussie fans alike for Monday’s clash.
“We have lots of Danish tourists who visit our venue,” Frank Roberts, director of food and beverage at Merivale said.
“It’s going to be a fun atmosphere here on Monday night with the game on live and loud.”
There are plenty of venues to suit every type of football fan, with the Clock Hotel in Surry Hills offering free margaritas for every first Matildas goal each game, while York 75 in the city is perfect for big groups.
Brits will surely be flocking to the Coogee Bay Hotel, a favourite haunt for expats and backpackers, when England takes on Nigeria on Monday.
The FIFA Fan Festival at Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour has been a huge hit for Matildas supporters and international fans, with every game screened live.
So far more than 136,000 fans have flocked to the festival, peaking last weekend with 17,000 attendees each day.
Of course, the Matildas are bringing in the biggest crowds, however Colombia matches are also bringing in huge numbers of fans — peaking at 4000 during one game.
This Saturday, Nina Las Vegas will play a headliner set.
The Dutch fans are hoping to give Aussies a run for their money with a fan parade in Moore Park ahead of their South Africa match this Sunday.
“The Matildas are riding high, our stadiums are packed, on the streets and in venues across the city people are soaking up the atmosphere of being at the centre of the world game,” minister for tourism and the night-time economy John Graham said.
“Whether it’s green and gold or another nation’s strip, people are wearing their team colours with pride, and I can’t wait to see the Dutch fans parade in orange to the SFS on Sunday.
“The tournament is already the biggest yet and Sydney has sold more tickets to games than any other host city ever.”
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