The ongoing 2026 edition of soccer's AFC Women's Asian Cup – with the bulk of its matches still left to play – has already broken the all-time total attendance record for the event.
The new record of 82,371 comes with the Group A clash between hosts Australia and Iran, at the Gold Coast Stadium, having added another 22,398 fans to the existing total, as they took in Australia's comprehensive 4-0 victory.
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The previous Women's Asian Cup attendance record – just under 60,000 – was set in Chengdu, China, in 2010.
This latest edition always looked set to smash through that total, with the opening match between Australia and the Philippines (held in Perth on Sunday) having brought in almost 45,000 in-stadia viewers. Indeed, the record has now been broken before the knockout stages.
Australia, one of the foremost women's soccer nations in the region, are amongst the tournament favorites, and the Matildas' levels of support in their home country have been growing steadily in recent years – as seen in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, which Australia and New Zealand co-hosted.
The final of that event, held in Sydney, was watched live by nearly 76,000 fans.
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By GlobalDataSarah Walsh, chief operating officer at the event's local organizing committee, added: "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.”
The 2026 edition of the quadrennial Women's Asian Cup runs between March 1 and 21, across three Australian host cities (using five stadiums in total).
The knockout stages of the tournament begin on March 14.
