Tickets for Australia-China women's soccer friendlies sold out

SYDNEY, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Over 130,000 fans will watch the Matildas, the Australian national women's football team, play China in May and June after tickets to their two friendly matches sold out.

Football Australia (FA) on Tuesday announced that tickets for the second friendly match between the Matildas and Steel Roses at Sydney's 83,500 capacity Stadium Australia on June 3 sold out within 24 hours of going on sale to the general public.

It comes seven days after tickets to the first friendly - at the 53,500 capacity Adelaide Oval on May 31 - sold out within three hours of going on sale to the public.

The two matches will mark the 13th and 14th consecutive times that the Matildas have played in front of sell-out crowds in Australia - a streak stretching back to their final warm-up match for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

In a statement celebrating the sell-out in Adelaide, FA chief executive said the streak reflects the deepening bond between the Matildas and the Australian public.

"We are thrilled to witness the unprecedented demand for tickets to our national teams' matches, a testament to the growing popularity and support for football in Australia," he said.

FA said that Adelaide Oval will welcome the one millionth person to watch the Matildas in Australia since 2017 for the match against China.

The friendlies will mark the first matches between the two since a 1-1 draw in Sydney in 2020 and act as a send-off for the Matildas for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The Steel Roses were based in Adelaide for the 2023 World Cup.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), there were 24,921 people, who were born in China, lived in Greater Adelaide in 2021 and 238,316 in Greater Sydney.