Barça Femení sell record 70,000 tickets for Camp Nou clash

FC Barcelona Femení's first match at the Camp Nou with fans present was already assured of being an historic occasion. Now, with more 70,000 tickets sold, it looks set to attract a record crowd for women's football in Spain.

The Barça women's team, winners of an extraordinary league, cup and Champions League treble last season, will take on rivals Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals on March 30.

On Friday, the team announced on Twitter that 70,000 tickets for the game had already been sold, and while tickets were available via the club website on Saturday, at the time of writing (Sunday, January 16), visitors were met with the following message: "We shall have tickets on sale shortly, leave your email and you’ll be the first to know."

7️⃣0️⃣.0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ ENTRADES VENUDES!!! 😱

🔥 Encara queden entrades fins poder omplir l’estadi al 100%!

FEM VIBRAR EL CAMP NOU! 🎟👉 https://t.co/9gXGmj6hSi pic.twitter.com/vIyKKFcpg9

— FC Barcelona Femení (@FCBfemeni) January 14, 2022

The usual capacity of FC Barcelona's ground – the biggest stadium in Europe – is 99,354, but due to the pandemic attendances are currently restricted to 70%. That makes the Barça - Real Madrid match a sell-out, although it is possible that the cap could be lifted before the game on March 30, which would allow even more tickets to be sold.

It looks very likely that the crowd will break at least two records in women's football: the highest attendance at a match in Spain and the highest attendance at a domestic club match anywhere in the world.

The current record – for both – is 60,739, set when Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid in March 2019.

If capacity restrictions are eased, the Catalan club could even beat the all-time world record crowd for the women's game. That was set during the 2012 Olympics in London when 80,203 people saw USA beat Japan in the gold medal match at Wembley.

Podcast 

FC Barcelona Femení completed an unprecedented season in June winning the treble of the league, cup, and Champions League, while also inspiring new generations of girls to pursue a career in professional football. Have a listen to our Filling the Sink podcast episode on the greatness of this side published on June 12, 2021, for more details: 

Alexia Putellas, Barça Femení's leader

One of the players expected to delight fans on March 30 is Alexia Putellas, who became the first Catalan and first female Barça player to receive the Ballon d’Or award on November 29, 2021. 

Just one day afterwards, she was also awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi, or Saint George's Cross, one of the most important civil honors given by the Catalan government that recognizes those who contribute to and enrich Catalonia's identity, usually from a cultural and civic point of view.