Football Australia optimistic of Matildas sellouts, despite slow sales for Brazil, Chinese Taipei friendlies

The last time the Matildas played a friendly on home soil, the last tickets were snapped up only an hour after going on sale. But Football Australia isn’t ready for the streak to end just yet.

Tickets didn’t sell out in an hour like the last time the Matildas played down under but Football Australia has no doubts the team’s run of consecutive sold out home matches will grow to 18 by the end of the year.

The Matildas will return to Australia for the first time since their early exit from the Olympics playing four games across two states in 10 days.

Prior to the Olympics, Matildas tickets were the hottest in town – snapped up as quickly as Tay-Tay tickets.

Fans were so desperate to watch the Matildas Olympic qualifiers in December last year Football Australia moved the match against the Philippines from 20,000 seat HBF to the 60,000 seat Optus Stadium.

Their sellout streak dates back to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup send off game against France at Marvel Stadium.

A monster crowd of 52,912 piled into Adelaide Oval for the friendly against China in May. Picture: Getty

In the lead up to the Olympics 30,000 pre-sale tickets to watch the Matildas play China PR in Adelaide were sold within four hours – the general public sale tickets disappeared just as quickly.

The Matildas Olympic campaign did not go as hoped – they failed to progress past the group stage.

This four-game series will be the first time the team plays in Australia since the Paris Games.

Tickets to watch the matches against Chinese Taipei in Geelong and Melbourne went on sale on September 19.

There are still tickets available to both games.

It is the same for the Brazil games to be played in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, which were released a little more than a week ago.

Matildas star Hayley Raso gives her ribbon to a supporter in the crowd at last year’s World Cup. Picture: Adam Head

While ticket sales are slower than previous matches a Football Australia spokesman said they were not concerned and still expected tickets to sell out before the series starts in late November.

“Over 90,000 tickets have already been sold across the four upcoming international friendlies, reflecting the continued growth in appeal and popularity of the CommBank Matildas,” the spokesman said.

“We are very pleased with this strong start, especially given that we are still in the early stages of our ticket sales cycle for these matches.

“For context, when the CommBank Matildas last played at Suncorp Stadium in September 2022, we saw an attendance of 25,016. For the November match against Brazil, over 30,000 tickets have already been sold, surpassing that previous attendance.

“Similarly, in Geelong, where 6,338 fans attended when last played in the region in 2017, we’ve already tripled that figure for the December match against Chinese Taipei, showing the incredible growth in fan interest.”

Australia’s Olympic campaign was a disappointment, but they’re still the hottest ticket in town. Picture: Getty

The figure provided for when the Matildas last played at Suncorp Stadium refers to when they last played a friendly game – their matches at the Brisbane stadium during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup were all classed as sell outs – with more than 49,000 watching the epic quarterfinal shootout against France.

The Football Australia spokesman said a core focus of the organisation was to ensure fans from metro and regional areas had the opportunity to watch their heroes live.

“For the first time ever, the Matildas will play on the Gold Coast in December, and over 85 per cent of the tickets have already been sold,” the spokesman said.

“It’s important to note that these matches were announced during a period of high competition for consumer attention, including the AFL and NRL finals and several high-profile concert tours.

“Our marketing and publicity campaigns were planned to ramp up from October, and we are confident that the remaining tickets will be sold well before the November/December window begins.

“Football remains incredibly strong in Australia, and Matildas’ fans are encouraged to buy early to ensure they don’t miss out, following 14 consecutive sellout matches across the country.

“The demand remains high, and we expect a similar response for these upcoming games.”

The Matildas will play Brazil at Suncorp Stadium on November 28 and at Cbus stadium on the Gold Coast on December 1.

They will then travel to Victoria to play Chinese Taipei at Marvel Stadium on December 4 and GMHBA Stadium in Geelong on December 7.

Originally published as Football Australia optimistic of Matildas sellouts, despite slow sales for Brazil, Chinese Taipei friendlies