Ireland-Australia could get major venue switch - report

The Republic of Ireland's World Cup opener against Australia in July could be moved to the 82,500-capacity Accor Stadium due to the huge demand for tickets.

The match had been scheduled to take place at the Allianz Stadium in Moore Park, which holds 42,500 fans. Tickets sold out last week with Irish supporters frustrated at receiving just 1,700 tickets for the highly anticipated collision.

Vera Pauw's team will face off against the co-hosts in the second game of the tournament [New Zealand face Norway a few hours earlier], and with massive Australian interest - and a huge Irish diaspora in Sydney - demand emphatically outstrips supply.

Now FIFA look set to act on the matter by moving the fixture to the impressive Accor Stadium in Sydney Olympic Park which was built for the 2000 Olympic Games.

The Sydney Morning Herald report that FIFA president Gianni Infantino is keen to accommodate more fans and ensure good optics for one of the group stages' most eye-catching fixtures.

If the game is switched to the Accor Stadium, and it sells out, Australia-Ireland would attract the second largest crowd in Women's World Cup history, behind only the USA v China at the Rose Bowl in California [90,185] back 1999.

It would be development welcomed by both countries, with Ireland defender Louise Quinn airing her disappointment last week at the paltry allocation for the Irish.

"Very unfair to our Irish supporters and to us, for such a small allocation," she tweeted. "Hoping they can dig out more tickets to create an unbelievable atmosphere!"

In November Celtic played Everton at the Accor Stadium in a friendly. Just over 41,000 were in attendance.