Women's World Cup 2023: Organisers aim for record two billion audience
- Published
Football Australia chief executive James Johnson is aiming to double the 2019 event's global TV audience
Women's World Cup organisers believe a record two billion people could watch the tournament this year.
Football's world governing body Fifa said the 2019 tournament in France attracted 1.12 billion viewers.
But the 2023 edition in Australia and New Zealand could double that, Football Australia chief executive James Johnson told BBC Sport.
"We think that's achievable. We know we'll get a good audience from the traditional football markets," he said.
"We're also in a time zone where all the big populations are. Our neighbours are China, our neighbours are Indonesia. We're very close to the west coast of the United States. And we're also very close to India. So there's going to be so many people that would tune in and watch this competition.
"You're going to have two billion people that are going to watch this tournament from all over the world."
Johnson said the 2022 Women's European Championships, won by hosts England, had proved "extremely inspiring" to the organisers, adding: "We were watching that tournament very, very closely. And we took a lot of learnings from that tournament."
That European final was played in front of 87,192 at Wembley last July and Johnson said full, large stadiums would make the World Cup a spectacle for television audiences.
He said Football Australia was lobbying Fifa to change the venue of Australia's opening match from the 45,000-seater Sydney Football Stadium to the 80,000-capacity Stadium Australia, and expects 1.5 million people to attend games.
Johnson is hoping Australia's Matildas can emulate England's Lionesses in going far in the July and August tournament, which he says would help to boost the women's game in the country.
But he also says a successful World Cup could leave a lasting legacy globally: "I think that given this tournament is in a different time zone the women's game is going to tap into new markets and if we can get into China, if we can get into India, if we get into Indonesia, and if we can win the battle, not just against other sports with different entertainment competitors in those markets, that's great for women's football because that's where the future growth is."