Minister for Sport Natalie Ward said an exemption was signed off last night, allowing the crowd to be boosted from 5000 to 22,500 for the matches on Saturday, 23 October and Tuesday, 26 October at CommBank Stadium.
“We’re all desperate to see Sydney regain its rightful crown as the sporting capital of Australia and I can’t think of a better showcase than the upcoming Matildas versus Brazil blockbuster games,” Mrs Ward said.
“Robust COVID-safe plans mean crowd numbers can be more than quadrupled from our original expectations, which is a fantastic result for our football fans.
“We’ve all missed the roar of the crowds and I can’t wait to hear the sound of Matildas fans cheering on their heroes.
“Sydney is sending a message to the world - we are back.”
Football Australia Chief Executive Officer James Johnson said this new arrangement paved the way for international sport in Australia.
“This is a groundbreaking announcement for Australian football, following the NSW Government’s approval of our submission to host these matches in Sydney within the 14-day mandatory quarantine period,” Mr Johnson said.
“The Commonwealth Bank Matildas are also presented with an opportunity to break their last attendance record set at the same venue back in November 2019, when 20,029 fans attended.”