More than 140,000 tickets already sold for UEFA Women's Euro 2022 in England

More than 140,000 tickets have already been sold for UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 following the successful first pre-sale event last month, including 53,000 for the Wembley final alone.

With more than 700,000 tickets priced between £5 and £50 being made available in total across all 31 games, the tournament is well on track to break attendance records, while the 53,000 sold for the final is already a record for a single match in the history of the Women’s Euros.

Hosted in England, the tournament was initially scheduled for this summer but was postponed to next year and will be played from 6 July to 31 July across nine venues.

It is now expected to be the first major championship after the coronavirus pandemic to have full capacity stadiums and the sales figures already highlight the tremendous appetite for women’s football in England, as well as across Europe and the wider world.

The 140,000 tickets sold so far cover all 31 games and have been bought by fans from 68 countries.

These early figures solidify the ambition from the FA and UEFA to make this tournament the biggest women’s football event in UEFA history and inspire positive change in the women’s game. 

Fans can still get their hands on tickets, with the last chance to guarantee games of their choice in the 24-hour Pre-Sale presented by Visa on 9 August - www.uefa.com/womenseuro/ticketing.

There will then be further chance to buy tickets at a fan ballot that will take place in October after the final tournament draw, which will determine which countries are playing at which venues. Tickets will later also go on general sale from mid-February.

Nadine Kessler, UEFA chief of women's football, said: "We are incredibly excited by the response of fans to the Women's EURO 2022 ticket pre-sale presented by our dedicated partner, VISA. With interest coming from fans across the globe it shows how European women’s football is of international significance.

"These numbers a year out are unheard of in women’s sport in Europe and it is just the start - I encourage everyone to get their tickets now and help us make the Women's EURO to not only be a record-breaking event but a sell-out event!"

Chelsea and Denmark forward Pernille Harder added: "It’s fantastic to see such a huge interest in the UEFA Women’s EURO at this early stage. It’s really exciting that so many fans are showing their support by buying tickets, and all before the draw has even taken place.

"Women’s football has accelerated over the last few years with more and more world-class talented players emerging across Europe. The calibre of play across the nations is getting stronger every year, so it will be really exciting to see all these top players compete against each other in England next summer – and have our supporters right there with us."

As hosts, England have automatically been drawn into Group A. The Lionesses will open the tournament at Old Trafford on 6 July and will play further group games in Southampton (11 July) and Brighton (15 July) as they aim to win a major international tournament for the first time.

Netherlands are reigning champions from Euro 2017, while France, Germany, Sweden and an improving Spain will also be in contention to lift the trophy.

For more from Jamie Spencer, follow him on Twitter and Facebook!