Sellout crowd to watch Matildas take on Brazil in Penrith

The Matildas will play Brazil in front of a sellout crowd in Penrith later this month.

Matildas players celebrate their recent success at the Tournament of Nations in the US.

The Matildas will play Brazil in front of a bumper crowd of about 17,000 people this month after their clash at Penrith was announced as a sellout.

The crowds will be the biggest enjoyed by the national women’s team on home soil since the Sydney Olympics.

World-beating performances by Alen Stajcic’s side, most recently at the Tournament of Nations, have sparked a surge in public interest in the Matildas.

FFA boss David Gallop said the efforts of the Matildas had “captured the attention of football fans around the world”.

“With the Westfield Matildas now ranked 6th in the FIFA world rankings, our intention to bid for the right to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023, and our Westfield W-League starting its 10th season later this year, women’s football in Australia has never been in better shape,” Gallop said. “When you combine that with the fact that women’s football is the fastest growing area of the sport at grassroots level you can understand why there is such intense interest in seeing our star players perform.”

AAP