June 2 – FIFA have announced the release of 250,000 more tickets for the Women’s World Cup amid concerns about sales in New Zealand.
A fresh batch will be released on Tuesday for all 64 matches even though one leading tournament official is worried about the take-up in one of the two host nations.
The World Cup kicks off on July 20 when New Zealand host Norway in Auckland, the same day Australia play the Republic of Ireland in Sydney.
New Zealand will stage a total of 29 matches yet despite almost half the games being in the country, of the 930,000 tickets sold so far, only 220,000 have been taken up in New Zealand.
“If anything is keeping me awake at night, it’s ensuring that New Zealanders maximise this opportunity,” the tournament’s chief operating officer in New Zealand, Jane Patterson, told local media.
Patterson has described the World Cup as a chance for “New Zealanders to get out and see the best in the world, from all over the world, do what they do in their own backyard”.
“We’ve priced tickets to be affordable, starting at NZ$20 (US$12) for adults and $10 for children – cheaper than going to the movies,” she told Radio New Zealand.
The biggest concern still lies elsewhere, however.
FIFA are still at blows with the five big European nations – England, Germany, Italy, France and Spain – over broadcasting rights, or lack of them.
Italian broadcasters are allegedly offering up just one per cent of what they paid for the men’s World Cup, which the country did not even qualify for.
It’s a similar story in Germany, with a reported offer of less than three per cent of what they paid for Qatar, despite the Women’s Euro final being the most-watched sporting event in the country last year.
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