Australia to target 2034 FIFA World Cup following Matildas success

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Matildas
Image via Football Australia

The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 has come to a conclusion, with the Matildas doing Australia proud by reaching the semi-final of the tournament – while receiving record breaking support from the nation.

Nearly two million viewers watched the Matildas’ historic television record-breaking opener of their much awaited FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign.

An average of 1.93 million people watched the joint host team’s opening match of the tournament on Seven and its online streaming service 7Plus, despite the surprising absence of famous skipper Sam Kerr. While the third place match against Sweden saw 6.25 million viewers tune in.

The team would re-write history in their semi-final match against England, becoming the most watched Television program in Australian history. The game reached 11.15 million Australians nationally, and had an average audience of 7.13 million according to Channel Seven.

Channel Seven’s head of network sport Lewis Martin, said via press release:

“The Matildas performance captured the Australian spirit like nothing we have seen in decades, Australia was captivated last night as the Matildas played their hearts out and did us all proud. The Matildas have rewritten the history books.”

On the back of the astonishing numbers and support the Matildas received, Australia are in a strong position to bid on hosting the 2034 FIFA Men’s World Cup, as Football Australia CEO James Johnson stated that it ‘would be discussed with New Zealand after the Women’s World Cup’.

As FIFA boss Gianni Infantino labelled it ‘the greatest Women’s World Cup ever’ – after a total attendance of 1,978,274 spectators – one could only imagine the support and views the event would bring on home soil supporting the Socceroos.

The 2026 World Cup is set to be hosted in North America across the United States, Canada and Mexico, with an expanded format of 48 teams. As the World Cup grows from 32 teams to 48, there will be 16 stadiums in 16 cities and 104 matches instead of 64.

Australia would be in a promising position to host the number of countries participating in the new World Cup format as the country has several world class stadiums across the nation, including the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) which would be a perfect venue for the final, holding a capacity of 100,000.

Australia must use the momentum of the Women’s World Cup to propose a serious bid to host in 2034.

Full statistics on FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 can be found here.

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WSL triples viewership after move to YouTube

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Image credit: Jason Ilagan / Shutterstock.com

Viewership for Women’s Super League (WSL) matches streamed live on YouTube has more than trebled during the 2024/25 season.

This success is no coincidence. Beyond the clear rise in quality and star power across teams for the 2024/25 season, it’s also the first time in league history that non-televised games are streamed for free on YouTube.

Last season, the main issue with viewership was accessibility, where matches not picked up by domestic broadcasters were only available on the FA Player app or website, requiring users to create an account on a platform that was already unpopular.

In the 2023/24 season, the highest viewership for an online-only WSL game was Arsenal’s home fixture against Bristol City, which attracted 78,050 viewers.

However, this season has already shattered records. Over 250,000 fans tuned in on YouTube to watch Leicester face Arsenal in September, setting a new high for a WSL game not televised.

In total, the first three weeks of this season have seen a staggering 1,576,848 live views for WSL matches streamed on YouTube.

Women’s Championship matches have also benefited from the platform, with the season opener between newly promoted Newcastle and London City Lionesses setting a new record for the league, drawing 46,050 live viewers.

This spike in viewership comes at a crucial time for both the WSL and the Championship, as they are holding out for a new broadcasting rights deal set to begin after 2025. Both leagues smartly delayed signing earlier this year to avoid locking into a premature agreement.

The gamble absolutely paid off and the Women’s Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL), now in charge of the top two leagues, will be using these numbers as leverage in discussions over the next major TV rights deal which should include the BBC and Sky Sports amongst other suitors.

Streaming must remain free for A-League Women’s growth 

The A-League Women’s impressively saw a 114% increase in viewership on 10 Play, where every game is streamed for free, and 125% on Paramount+ for the 2023/24 season.

While a switch to YouTube seems unlikely given Channel 10’s monopoly over A-League football, it’s crucial to keep every game available for free on 10 Play if they want viewership to continue rising.

As the WSL and previously the NWSL have demonstrated, offering free streamed games draws in viewers of all ages and ultimately helps turn them into paying fans. The league’s primary focus should be on building an audience as quickly as possible.

Conclusion

The impressive figures from this season suggest that the demand for women’s football is only increasing.

The WSL has made a brilliant move that is sure to enhance the upcoming record-breaking broadcast rights deal, helping the league continue to improve both on and off the field.

The next step is to take it mainstream, and the Ninja A-League should look to follow the blueprint set by the WSL, which has demonstrated how to rapidly gain widespread popularity.

Football Queensland lands $800k pledge for Mackay Park upgrade

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Football Queensland has expressed its support for Nigel Dalton’s pledge of $800,000 to upgrade the carpark at Mackay Football Park, contingent on the LNP’s success in the November election.

This commitment aligns with Football Queensland’s 2024–2026 Infrastructure Strategy, released in August, and would fulfil a key element of the Mackay Football Park Master Plan, providing substantial benefits to the Whitsunday Coast football community.

The ground, based in Glenalla on the Whitsunday Coast, has a rich history and strong community ties. It has been longing for an upgrade and hosts many junior tournaments through the year.

FQ CEO Robert Cavallucci spoke about the importance of this funding and how it relates to the #EQUALISER campaign.

“As we continue advocating for infrastructure funding as part of Football Queensland’s statewide #EQUALISER initiative, investment in football facilities like Mackay Football Park plays a crucial role in supporting the ongoing growth of the game as the state’s largest participation sport,” Cavallucci said in a statement.

“The #EQUALISER initiative highlights the critical need for greater investment in football infrastructure to support the growing demands of the game, and Football Queensland remains committed to working with all levels of government to achieve strong outcomes for our football clubs and participants across the state.”

FQ General Manager of the Northern Region Craig Ramage echoed the statements of Cavallucci.

“Football Queensland welcomes the announcement by Nigel Dalton of an $800,000 funding commitment to upgrade the carpark at Mackay Football Park,” he said in a statement.

“With almost 3,400 members of the local football community visiting Mackay Football Park each week, an upgrade of the carpark will deliver significant benefits to our Whitsunday Coast participants and their families and help us improve the football experience for everyone involved in our beautiful game.”

Football Queensland’s State Election #EQUALISER Campaign continues to drive advocacy for football, community football infrastructure and facility investments from candidates in every electorate.

Clearly the campaign is having success, benefitting 16 grassroots clubs across Queensland with sizeable funding (ranging from $150,000 to $3.8m) from local councils and the state government.

This is another example of political parties pledging to invest a great amount of money to grow the state’s largest participation sport, with an international tournament around the corner.

Football Queensland continue to lead the way in the football business spectre, ensuring that the sport grows at all levels and that governments, who historically neglected football, are starting to put it into focus.

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