FC Barcelona‘s Champions League first-leg semi-final game against VfL Wolfsburg drew a record 91,648 people to Camp Nou, the greatest audience ever for a women’s football match.
Aitana Bonmat, Jenni Hermoso, and Caroline Graham Hansen all scored for the hosts, who were led by the captain Alexia Putellas, who scored a brace. After the final whistle, there were more joyful scenes as the players relished the opportunity to play in front of a sold-out Camp Nou.
According to club authorities, the crowd surpassed the attendance of 91,553 who saw the 5-2 victory against rival Real Madrid in El Clasico last month.
The previous record for a women’s game was held by the 1999 World Cup final between the United States and China in the Rose Bowl (90,185)
Barcelona had offered free tickets to its 147,000 club members in exchange for a little administrative fee is one of the reasons for this historic attendance. Also, in the women’s Champions League, rising levels of in-stadium support are part of a broader trend. “Barcelona have been very successful at creating a strong identity around its club which extends beyond the senior men’s team in a way that the women’s team have benefited, too,” DW’s women’s football expert Alina Schwermer stated. “They went early with their marketing of the Clasico, but they also have the infrastructure in place.”
They haven’t lost a match since a 2-3 loss to Olympique Lyonnais in August 2021, when they led Spain’s top league by 22 points.
On April 30, Barca will travel to Volkswagen Arena for the second leg. The winner of the tie will face either Lyon or Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the final.