FIFA has done its sums: the Fan Festivals organized in the nine host cities of the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand were a success. By the end of the competition, which ended in Sydney on Sunday August 20 with Spain’s victory, no fewer than 777,000 people had visited at least once. Attendance peaked on August 12, when 68,000 people at all venues watched the Australian Matildas beat France in the quarter-finals. During the tournament, all 64 matches were broadcast live on giant screens. Previously known as FIFA Fan Fests, or Fan Zones, they have existed at World Cups since 2006, but the 2023 edition was the first where the experience was offered in all host cities, in Australia and New Zealand.
