Challenges and Considerations in Attendance for England Women's Football Matches in 2025
In 2025, England's women's football team played eight home games, including three at Wembley Stadium, with nearly 48,000 tickets sold for some matches where many fans did not attend. They recorded a total home attendance of 302,238 across these eight games, averaging 37,780 spectators per game. The final two matches drew over 94,000 fans combined within four days. For comparison, in 2024, England averaged 42,770 attendees across seven home games with a peak of 78,346 during a friendly against the United States at Wembley.
The largest crowd at Wembley in 2025 was for the England versus China match on 29 November, with an attendance of 74,611. Considering broadcast and operational seats, the stadium's sell-out capacity is estimated at about 85,000. In the United States, the US Women's National Team (USWNT) recorded a 2025 attendance average of 19,269 over 15 home matches, with a peak of 50,644 at the SheBelieves Cup against Japan and the lowest attendance of 3,242 for a Gold Cup match versus the Dominican Republic.
Several factors contribute to the attendance gap despite ticket sales: early ticket sales months in advance, changes in plans, tickets given as gifts during Christmas, adverse weather, transport issues, competing fixtures, and affordable but low ticket prices such as £40 for the England vs China game.
The Football Association (FA) is exploring measures to address these challenges, including establishing an official resale platform. A cross-functional group within the FA—covering commercial, marketing, communications, digital, ticketing, events, finance and broadcast departments—works alongside operations teams. Engagement with the Football Supporters’ Association is viewed as crucial for improving audience participation.
The article highlights that this attendance issue is not exclusive to women's football; even high-profile men's matches such as England vs Wales in October, while selling out, experience situations where stadium capacity is not fully realized, indicating that there is no straightforward solution to fill every seat.
