UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 set for new record attendance after unprecedented demand for tickets

The interest in UEFA Women's EURO 2022 continues to rise following last month's final tournament draw, reflected by a record number of ticket applications in the three weeks since.

More than 268,000 tickets have been requested in the general public ballot window, which opened shortly after the draw on 28 October and closed earlier this week.

This comes on top of the 162,000 tickets sold during a pre-sale period earlier this year, which means that the record for the tournament set at Women’s EURO 2017 in the Netherlands, where 240,000 fans attended matches in stadiums, is set to be eclipsed next summer.

UEFA chief of women’s football Nadine Kessler said: "We have set ourselves the objective to smash records with this tournament. Looking at the number of tickets sold so far, and the applications received in the latest public ballot window, we are safe to say we will break attendance records in summer 2022, as we will soon have sold around half of the 700,000 tickets available.

"That is beyond our expectations, but at the same time we are not surprised as clearly people don’t want to miss out on what will be an unforgettable tournament. It is especially encouraging to see that the appetite to be part of Women's EURO 2022 has grown beyond England and Europe, and also attracts global audiences now."

Fifteen per cent of ballot applications have come from outside England, with requests from 118 different countries worldwide including all 16 participating national associations. The strongest demand has come from host country England, followed by Northern Ireland, the Netherlands and Germany. Some 47% of all applications have come from female fans, while the average age range of applicants is between 25 and 45.

The most in-demand match has been the final at Wembley, which has been over-subscribed six times after 53,000 tickets had already been sold in pre-sale. Overall, nine matches will go to a ballot across all price categories based on the number of tickets available in this phase, including all England fixtures; 75% of the 31 matches will require a ballot in at least one price category.

The ballot and subsequent payment process will run until early December. Following the conclusion of this process, fans who miss out on tickets for oversubscribed matches or categories, will be put on a waiting list and will receive the chance to purchase tickets on a first come, first served basis.

In February 2022, the remaining tickets will go on offer to general public, also on a first come, first served basis.

Match ticket prices range from £5 to £50. A family of four can attend for £30, or £45 for England games, a semi-final or the final. Concession tickets for children aged 16 or under are available for all matches. A range of hospitality tickets are also available across the tournament.

Currently, the plan is to operate at full capacity across all stadiums. However, ticket buyers can be reassured that if a fixture is affected by a COVID-19-related issue, a robust refund policy is in place. A ticket resale platform will be available closer to the tournament to enable fans to offer their tickets for resale at face value.