Emmanuel Thomas , DPA, Monday, May 15, 2023
EINDHOVEN – Barcelona and Wolfsburg will contest the first ever women’s Champions League final in front of a full stadium as all 34,120 tickets for the June 3 game in Eindhoven have been snapped up.
The Dutch Football Federation (KNVB) made the announcement on Monday, with its general secretary, Gijs de Jong, naming the full house at Philips Stadium “a fantastic milestone that will stand forever.”
Previous finals had not been sold out and averaged 18,900 spectators in eight of the last 10 finals, the KNVB said. The 2020 and 2021 deciders were played behind closed doors owing to the coronavirus.
Wolfsburg coach Tommy Stroot said the sell-out highlights “the great and fast development of women’s football” and suggested that future finals should be held in bigger stadiums.
After all, Barcelona’s home leg in the semi-final against Chelsea had drawn a crowd of 72,262 to the Nou Camp, and Wolfsburg’s game at Arsenal in the semis saw 60,063 fans at Emirates Stadium.
A women’s world record for a club game was set in Sunday’s FA Cup final at Wembley, with 77,390 fans seeing Chelsea beat Manchester United.
