A record-breaking crowd of 57,000 fans watched as Bremen beat Hamburg 3-1 in the German Cup semifinals, marking a historic moment for women’s football.
Never before have this many supporters attended a women’s football club match in Germany. A record-breaking 57,000 fans watched visitors Bremen beat Hamburg to seal a ticket to the women’s German Cup final.
Women's football has experienced significant growth in recent years, with increasing participation and viewership.
According to FIFA, the number of female players worldwide grew from 30 million in 2010 to over 40 million in 2020.
The Women's World Cup has also seen a surge in popularity, with the '2019 tournament' reaching a global audience of over 1 billion people.
Professional leagues such as the Women's National Soccer League (NWSL) and the FA Women's Super League have been established, providing opportunities for top female players to compete at a high level.
The Match That Made History
The sold-out ‘Volksparkstadion’ saw Bremen beat hosts Hamburg 3-1 to move into the DFB cup final. Despite having Saskia Matheis sent off, Bremen managed to snatch an opener, as Sophie Weidauer pounced on a mistake by the home side’s goalkeeper. But the underdogs rewarded their home crowd with drama, with ‘Sarah Stöckmann’ grabbing a late equalizer to send the game into extra time. However, last-gasp goals from Weidauer and Verena Wieder sealed a 3-1 victory for the visitors.
A Prideful Moment for Hamburg
Even though Hamburg missed out on the final, their captain ‘It fills me with pride that we were the first in Germany to play in front of a crowd of this size,’ she said. ‘It won’t be the last time, and it was amazing what we were able to experience here today. It was a football festival for Germany.’
A Surge in Ticket Sales
The match at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion was already guaranteed to draw a bigger crowd than Bremen‘s final against Bayern, which will be held at a smaller stadium in Cologne. That was the venue of the previous record crowd, set during the 2023 cup final with ‘44,808’ in attendance.
Why So Many Fans?
The astonishing surge in ticket sales can be partly explained by the men’s international break, which means no professional men’s club sides were in action this weekend. With tickets starting at €9, the stadium was sold out over two weeks before kickoff. Another factor is the regional rivalry between the clubs and cities of hosts Hamburg and visitors Bremen. The Nordderby between HSV and Werder is one of the oldest derbies in German football, also colored by the historic rivalry between the cities dating back to the Middle Ages.
A New Generation of Fans
For many of the 57,000 in attendance, it was the first taste of the women’s professional game. The ‘Volksparkstadion’ is usually the setting for the men’s Bundesliga 2 matches and has only hosted the women’s team once before, when ‘16,529’ attended their quarterfinal victory in February this year.
The Atmosphere Makes All the Difference
Hamburg supporter Moritz said, ‘The atmosphere makes all the difference. If the women’s team played here more often, then I’d be well up for going. I don’t think it’d be my thing watching it with 300 people because I like going to the stadium for the atmosphere and to be part of a crowd.’
A Step Towards Equality
Decisions to hoist women’s matches onto a bigger stage have largely been vindicated but still remain the exception to the rule. The cup competition’s other semifinal was held at the FC Bayern Campus, in front of a sell-out crowd of just ‘2,500’, despite the fact that the men’s Allianz Arena was vacant on the day.
The Future of Women’s Football
Since the start of the decade, women’s football has surged in popularity. ‘Euro 2022‘ in England saw over half a million fans stream to stadiums, doubling the previous tournament’s numbers. Almost two million fans attended the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, an increase of more than ‘600,000’ from the previous record.
Women's football has experienced significant growth in popularity over the past two decades.
According to FIFA, the number of female players has increased by 30% since 2010.
The '2019 FIFA Women's World Cup' reached a global audience of 1 billion viewers, surpassing the men's tournament for the first time.
The US Women's National Team has been a driving force behind this growth, with their 2015 and 2019 World Cup victories inspiring a new generation of female players.
Germany’s Frauen-Bundesliga is expanding, stocking up from 12 to 14 teams in the 2025/26 season, which could well see HSV join the top flight. And yet, the game’s finances still lag far behind those of their male counterparts. Through a survey including ‘669 clubs’ from around the world, FIFA found the average salary for players is $10,900, meaning the vast majority of players cannot rely solely on their income from football.
A Record-Breaking Moment
Hamburg’s 33-year-old Jobina Lahr is optimistic, despite conceding she is unlikely to experience such an occasion again in her career. ‘We’ve taken a big step toward the next generation experiencing this more often,’ she said. ‘They’re emotions you can’t grasp. Endorphins, adrenaline, you don’t know what to do with your feelings.
