WATCH: The FIFA Women’s World Cup is coming to Vancouver next month and as Nadia Stewart reports, the thousands of soccer fans are expected to give the city a big economic boost.
The hype for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup is building up with just over two weeks away before the starting whistle. But despite growing interest, ticket sales have been less than stellar so far, according to a local ticket dealer.
Kingsley Bailey, the manager of Vancouver Ticket, says it’s been slow because Team Canada will likely not get to play in Vancouver until quarter-finals in late June.
The Canadian squad will open the tournament in Edmonton on June 6. But the team will not play any early group stage matches in Vancouver.
The good news is Vancouver will host two group stage matches featuring Japan on June 8 and 12.
Bailey says any games featuring Japan are in high demand right now.
Bailey says while these are the best teams in the world, a lot of local fans want to see Canada and that’s why the sales have not been as good.
So while Vancouver will have to wait a while before seeing Canadian girls kick the ball at BC Place Stadium, a number of other Canadian cities will get to see the home team in action early on.
“You know in every city the fans are going to go crazy. It is going to be a home game for the Canadians everywhere they go,” says Bailey.
The hot ticket item will be the gold medal game at BC Place on July 5.
While Canada has a good shot to make it all the way into the finals, the gold medal game tickets are not yet available to the general public.
“Just keep your eyes open and your eyes watching. There will be availability,” says Bailey.
And if Canada and USA clash heads in the final, expect a perfect storm, says Bailey, especially after Canada’s controversial elimination from London 2012 semifinals.
“It would be a perfect rematch,” he says. “It would be the game. I think everybody would come, the Americans would come up in droves, and we would come up in droves, because I think we got shortchanged in that game.”
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