Arsenal will play five Women's Super League games at the Emirates Stadium next year, it was announced May 10.
Should they qualify for the group stage of the Champions League, they are also committed to hosting any fixtures from that point on in the Emirates, which seats 60,704.
Arsenal played three WSL fixtures in the stadium this season, setting a new league attendance record of 47,367 in a match with rivals Tottenham and selling over 86,000 tickets across the other two games with Manchester United and Chelsea.
Five of Arsenal's Women's Champions League games were hosted at the Emirates, and they sold out their second-leg semi-final with Wolfsburg, which, though the German side won 3-2, was a cause for celebration since the crowd was over 40 times as large as the last time the two sides met in a semi-final ten years ago.
this one will hurt for awhile.. we gave absolutely everything and having 60,000 gooners cheer us on right until the end was incredible. Thank you for all the love - proud to wear the red and white 🤍❤️ pic.twitter.com/AM99urzbMY
— Katie McCabe (@Katie_McCabe11) May 2, 2023
Currently, most of Arsenal's home matches are hosted at Meadow Park in Borehamwood, which has a capacity of only 4,500 (1,700 seated).
However, Head Coach Jonas Eidevall spoke earlier this month about the possibility of all Arsenal's home games being played in the Emirates someday:
"It's fundamental that we get to play here so often, but also that the supporters get to experience it with us...I get the sense that history is being created in front of our eyes when I see how the attendance and the culture is here at the Emirates Stadium."
"Five years ago if someone had said that Arsenal's long-term plan is to move to the Emirates Stadium people would ask, 'how can that happen?' Now I think people understand that that might be realistic for the future."
Wednesday's announcement certainly brings the team closer to that point.
Arsenal chief executive Vinai Venkatesham acknowledged the stadium's support during the announcement.
“We’ve received fantastic support at Emirates Stadium this year, setting a new record attendance in the WSL and achieving a memorable sell-out for our recent UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final against Wolfsburg earlier this month.
“This latest announcement ensures that as many supporters as possible can enjoy the matchday experience with us, as we continue to support the sustainable growth of women’s football.”
