Ahead of AS Roma Women’s historic debut in the knockout rounds of the Women’s Champions League at the Stadio Olimpico against Barcelona Femini on March 21, the Giallorosse have already sold 35,000 tickets. The figure had hit 25,000 on March 15, and an additional 10,000 were sold by March 18.
With the game not being played until March 18, Roma will be aiming to sell even more tickets and might see the men’s Derby della Capitale between Lazio and AS Roma as a springboard. That game is technically a Lazio home game, however, removing their chance to use the game to promote the game to match-going fans.
The club have also announced that Italian singer Noemi will perform as part of the pre-match entertainment at the Olimpico on the night of the Women’s Champions League quarter-final first leg.
Roma Women are competing in Europe’s elite club competition for the first time in their short history this season and have been in fine form in Serie A Femminile, currently topping the league and leading Juventus Women by as many as eight points. Their only two defeats this season have come against Juventus.
Over the weekend, they completed a comeback to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit to beat AC Milan in the Coppa Italia Femminile semi-finals, setting up another date with the Bianconere in this season’s final. Roma and Juventus met in Ferrara last season, with Juventus just emerging as winners then, though Roma then beat Juve in the 2023 Supercoppa Italiana six months later in Parma.
AS Roma Women set for historic Stadio Olimpico debut
The occasion is a milestone for both Roma and Italian women’s football, with the Giallorosse set to debut in the Women’s Champions League knockout rounds while also playing at the Stadio Olimpico – the men’s team’s home stadium – for the first time. They play their home matches at the Stadio Tre Fontane and had played their Women’s Champions League group games in Latina – around 80 kilometres from the Eternal City.
By March 15, over 25,000 tickets had been sold for Roma’s game against Barcelona Femini at the Stadio Olimpico. The hope then was for that figure to rise further and surpass even 30,000, and by March 18 they had soared and hit 35,000. Tickets are available for as little as €5.
Roma generally attract a good crowd at the Tre Fontane and arguably boast the best base of supporters in Italian women’s football, and the club’s men’s side have been selling out regularly under Jose Mourinho as well.
Some Roma fans have pointed to Lazio’s recent Europa Conference League game against Cluj and the near-empty stands at the Olimpico that they played in front of, with Roma’s Women’s Champions League game against Barcelona selling more than twice as many tickets.
Lazio fans will argue that their kick-off time was far less convenient than the 21:00 CET start time for the March 21 fixture, though.
Italian women’s football on the rise
The 2022/23 season is Serie A Femminile’s first as a fully-professional league, and the women’s game has been growing in Italy. In fact, this 2022/23 season also saw two Italian sides qualify for the Women’s Champions League group phase for the first time with Juventus and Roma.
Juventus were drawn in a group of death alongside champions Lyon and WSL side Arsenal, and just fell short of progressing.
Roma, meanwhile, advanced to the knockout rounds in what is their first-ever season in the Women’s Champions league.
