Women's Champions League final sold out for first time since 2009-10

[May 16, 2023]  (Reuters) - The Women's Champions League final between Barcelona and VfL Wolfsburg has become the first final to be sold out since 2009-10, European soccer's governing body UEFA said on Tuesday.

UEFA said that over 34,100 tickets have been issued for the match, which will be played at the PSV Stadium in Eidhoven in the Netherlands on June 3. 

Soccer Football - Women's Champions League - Semi Final - Second Leg - VfL Wolfsburg v Barcelona - Volkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg, Germany - April 30, 2022 VfL Wolfsburg's Lena Lattwein in action with Barcelona's Mariona Caldentey REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer

The final will beat the attendance record for a women's football match in the Netherlands, previously set in 2019 when the Netherlands national team played Australia in front of 30,640 spectators at the same venue.

"This is the first time we have fully sold out a Women's Champions League final. And that's a few weeks in advance, which is just another sign that we have reached a new level," said Nadine Kessler, UEFA managing director of women's football.

Barcelona are in the Women's Champions League final for the third straight time and the fourth in five seasons, having won the title in 2020-2021. Wolfsburg won in 2012-13 and 2013-14.

Women's football has seen a huge increase in fan interest and crowd attendance, with the Women's FA Cup final on Sunday hosting a crowd of 77,390 - the highest attendance for a domestic women's match in England.

Last year, a record 91,648 fans turned up for a women's match as Barcelona beat Wolfsburg in the first leg of their Women's Champions League semi-final at Camp Nou.

(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Christina Fincher)

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