Emergence and divergence of fan zones at the 2023 Women’s World Cup: Beyond the stadium

For the first time at the women's game, the 2023 Women's World Cup included official ‘FIFA Fan Festivals,’ or fan zones designed to provide space outside of the stadium for the public to engage with the World Cup experience. The existence of fan zones at the 2023 FWWC might seem unsurprising, as these areas have become a staple of modern football mega-events. We argue that the 2023 FWWC Fan Festivals signal the women's tournament's progression towards the commercial level of men's tournaments. However, these festivals showcased distinct differences in their objectives, functions, socio-spatial configurations, and, ultimately, the way they were experienced (‘consumed’) relative to those associated with major men's events. Our examination focuses on two very different fan zones (an official FIFA Fan Festival in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand, and an unofficial, FIFA-sanctioned, local council-led fan site in Dharug/Parramatta, Australia), exploring what each might indicate about the current and future state of the FWWC and women's football fan culture more generally.