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 Women's association football is a popular sport, though less watched than the equivalent men's game in most markets. In the early 20th century, women's football thrived in England, seeing crowds equal to or larger than men's football matches; between the 1920s and 1970s, women's football was banned from existing in official capacities in England and various other regions, setting it back. [1] While most men's association football attendance records were set in the 20th century, record crowds in the women's game have been set predominantly in the 21st century.
The record attendance of a women's football match is the estimated 110,000 attendance at Estadio Azteca for the final of the 1971 Women's World Cup (organised by the Federation of Independent European Female Football (FIEFF)) between the national teams of Mexico and Denmark on 5 September 1971. [2]
The record attendance of a match recognised by FIFA is 91,648, set during a UEFA Women's Champions League match between Barcelona Femení and Wolfsburg at the Camp Nou on 22 April 2022. [3] [4] [5]
Barcelona also played, against Atlético Madrid, in the match at the Metropolitano Stadium which holds the domestic league attendance record of 60,739. [6] Including records not officially recognised by FIFA due to unsanctioned matches, five teams have each set the world record attendance the most times, with three each: Dick, Kerr Ladies F.C., Mexico, China, United States, and Barcelona.
 
 | Date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Attendance | Ref(s) | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 November 2024 |  England | 0–0 |  United States |  Wembley Stadium, London | 78,346 | [74] [75] | 
| 9 November 2019 |  England | 1–2 |  Germany | 77,768 | [3] [76] | |
| 7 October 2022 |  England | 2–1 |  United States | 76,893 | [77] | |
| 3 June 2024 |  Australia | 2–0 |  China |  Stadium Australia, Sydney | 76,798 | [78] | 
| 31 May 2024 |  Australia | 1–1 |  China |  Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | 52,912 | [79] | 
| 14 July 2022 |  Australia | 1–0 |  France |  Marvel Stadium, Melbourne | 50,629 | [80] | 
| 23 November 2014 |  England | 0–3 |  Germany |  Wembley Stadium, London | 45,619 | [81] | 
Since the first record attendance for a women's football match was set in the early 20th century, it has been superseded several times. In various nations, women's football was banned for roughly the same period, from the 1920s to the 1970s. [3] [82] [1]
| Date | Team 1 | Score | Team 2 | Match | Venue | Attendance | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 December 1917 |  Dick, Kerr Ladies | 4–0 |  Arundel Coulthard Factory | Charity friendly |  Deepdale, Preston | 10,000 [83] | 
| 26 December 1917 |  North of Ireland | 1–4 |  Tyneside | Friendly |  Grosvenor Park, Belfast | 20,000 [84] | 
| 29 April 1920 |  Dick, Kerr Ladies  [e] | 2–0 |  France XI | Charity friendly |  Deepdale, Preston | 25,000 [86] | 
| 27 December 1920 |  Dick, Kerr Ladies  [f] | 4–0 |  St Helens | Charity friendly |  Goodison Park, Liverpool | 53,000 | 
| 25 December 1970 |  Barcelona | 0–0 (4–3 p) |  Centelles | Exhibition cup/charity friendly |  Camp Nou, Barcelona | 60,000 [89] [a] [c] | 
| 15 August 1971 |  Mexico | 3–1 |  Argentina | Mundial group stage |  Estadio Azteca, Mexico City | 90,000 [d] | 
| 22 August 1971 |  Mexico | 4–0 |  England | Mundial group stage | ||
| 5 September 1971 |  Mexico | 0–3 |  Denmark | Mundial final | 110,000 [d] | |
| 16 November 1991 |  China | 4–0 |  Norway | World Cup group stage |  Tianhe Stadium, Guangzhou | 65,000 [72] | 
| 1 August 1996 |  China | 1–2 |  United States | Olympic final |  Sanford Stadium, Athens, Georgia | 76,489 | 
| 19 June 1999 |  United States | 3–0 |  Denmark | World Cup group stage |  Giants Stadium, East Rutherford | 78,972 | 
| 10 July 1999 |  United States | 0–0 (5–4 p) |  China | World Cup final |  Rose Bowl, Los Angeles | 90,185 | 
| 30 March 2022 |  Barcelona | 5–2 |  Real Madrid | Champions League quarter-final |  Camp Nou, Barcelona | 91,553 | 
| 22 April 2022 |  Barcelona | 5–1 |  Wolfsburg | Champions League semi-final | 91,648 | 
...in front of 32,066 fans, an NWSL home opener record.