The 2026 edition of the AFC Women's Asian Cup, currently underway, has already set a new record for total attendance. With the majority of matches yet to be played, over 82,000 fans have already attended games at this prestigious national teams' football tournament.
The new record was set during the Group A clash between hosts Australia and Iran at Gold Coast Stadium. This match alone added another 22,398 fans to the existing total as they witnessed Australia's comprehensive 4-0 victory. The previous record for Women's Asian Cup attendance was just under 60,000 and was set in Chengdu, China in 2010.
This latest edition of the tournament always seemed poised to shatter previous records. The opening match between Australia and the Philippines held in Perth on Sunday drew almost 45,000 spectators alone. Indeed, this impressive turnout ensured that the record was broken even before reaching knockout stages. Australia is one of the leading women's football nations in Asia and is among this year’s tournament favorites. Support for their team - known as 'the Matildas' - has been growing steadily over recent years as seen during their co-hosting duties with New Zealand for FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023.
Growing popularity of women’s football
The final match of that event held in Sydney saw nearly 76,000 live spectators – a testament to how popular women’s football has become not only globally but also within Australia itself.
Sarah Walsh, chief operating officer at the event's local organizing committee, said:
"Capacity crowds this early in the tournament demonstrate the strength of women’s football and the opportunity to deliver the biggest and most successful AFC Women’s Asian Cup in history.”
This year’s quadrennial Women's Asian Cup runs from March 1st through March 21st across three Australian host cities using five stadiums altogether. The knockout stages are scheduled to begin on March 14th which promises more thrilling action and potentially larger crowds given its high-stakes nature. The record-breaking attendance at this year's Women's Asian Cup is a clear indication of the growing popularity and support for women's football. As the tournament progresses, it will be interesting to see if these numbers continue to rise, further cementing this edition as a landmark event in women’s sports history.
