Sydney and the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™ have together rewritten the record books, with 60,279 fans packing Stadium Australia for Sunday night's blockbuster International Women’s Day clash between Australia and Korea Republic.
It now stands as the highest-attended match in AFC Women’s Asian Cup history.
Sunday's crowd surpassed the Opening Match attendance in Perth of 44,379, which had set a new benchmark on the first night of the tournament.
“To break more records tonight, and to do it on International Women’s Day, is significant. This crowd has pushed total group stage attendance beyond 150,000 with four matches still to play before the knockouts," Chief Operating Officer of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™ Local Organising Committee, Sarah Walsh said.
"The momentum behind this tournament is growing and it shows the strength and commercial power of women’s football across Asia and here in Australia.”
The attendance also surpasses the 50,276 crowd recorded at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup group stage match between the Socceroos and Oman, making it the highest-attended Asian Cup group stage match ever staged in Australia, across both the men’s and women’s competitions.
Tonight’s crowd takes total group stage attendance to more than 158,091 with four group stage matches still to be played, underlining the extraordinary demand and the scale of support behind this historic tournament.
On a night that would decide who tops the group, two of Asia’s football powerhouses delivered a spectacle worthy of the occasion.
Staged on International Women’s Day, the record-breaking crowd represents a powerful moment for women’s sport. Tens of thousands of fans came together to celebrate elite female athletes on one of the most significant days on the global calendar for gender equality, sending a clear message about the strength, momentum and commercial power of women’s football.
“This record-breaking crowd at Stadium Australia is a proud moment for NSW and a demonstration of the growing strength of women’s sport. A big part of hosting the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™ is about inspiring the next generation of athletes, showcasing Australia on the global stage and bringing communities together," NSW Minister for Sport and Tourism Steve Kamper.
“To see so many fans celebrating elite football on International Women’s Day sends a strong message about the future of the game and with the knockout rounds still ahead, the excitement around this tournament is just getting started.”
The 2026 edition has now set new benchmarks for single match attendance, group stage attendance and overall tournament attendance, reinforcing this tournament as the most successful AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ in history.
Tonight’s milestone builds on the extraordinary momentum seen across Perth, the Gold Coast and Sydney, with fans turning out in record numbers and creating electric atmospheres at every venue.
With the knockout rounds still to come, the tournament’s upward trajectory shows no signs of slowing, as Australia hosts a Women’s Asian Cup that is not only breaking records but redefining what is possible for women’s sport in this country and across Asia.
