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FIFA moves Australia's Women's World Cup opener to bigger venue

The Matildas look set to smash their home attendance record after World Cup organisers agreed to shift their opening group game with Ireland to Sydney's 82,000-capacity Accor Stadium.

Tony Gustavsson's side were scheduled to play their July 20 tournament opener at the newly-built 42,000-seater Allianz Stadium.

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However, demand has prompted FIFA to aim higher, with the potential for the Australian national side to break their 36,109 home crowd record set when they faced the United States in 2021.

"FIFA's mission is to organise the biggest and best Women's World Cup in history this year, and fans, those who bring colour, passion, and atmosphere to Stadiums will be such an integral part of the tournament's success," said FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura.

"With this in mind, we have taken a decision that will enable over 100,000 fans to attend the opening matchday, providing more opportunities for supporters to engage with the FIFA Women's World Cup as a month of football we will never forget gets underway."

Additional tickets for the Matildas' first game will go on sale Friday, FIFA said. Fans who already have tickets will be moved to seats in the new venue.

The tournament will kick off earlier on July 20 with co-hosts New Zealand taking on Norway at Eden Park in Auckland. The Matildas face Nigeria at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium and heavyweights Canada at Melbourne's AAMI Park in their remaining two group games.

Gustavsson is expected to announce a squad for Cup of Nations games with Spain, the Czech Republic and Jamaica later this week.