Minister for Tourism Stuart Ayres said 600 workers would receive complimentary tickets to the clashes with football heavyweights Brazil as a thank-you for their hard work.
“Our frontline workers have been at the coalface of the COVID-19 pandemic, and their commitment to serving and protecting the community has never waned,” Mr Ayres said.
“They deserve a great night out - a night of celebration - as Sydney welcomes the return of international sport, a feat made possible by the hard work of our frontline workers.
“Major sporting events like this are a vital contributor to the NSW visitor economy and support our ambition to be the events capital of the Asia Pacific. With so much planned over the summer there’s never been a better time to start planning a visit to Sydney.”
The Matildas will play Brazil in two games at CommBank Stadium on Saturday, 23 October and Tuesday, 26 October. 300 tickets will be allocated to healthcare workers for each game.
Minister for Sport Natalie Ward said the NSW Government was serving up some of the best players in world football to sport-starved Sydney fans.
“This is a great way for Sydney to reclaim its crown as Australia’s sports capital and the MatiIdas are in top form after their outstanding effort at the Tokyo Olympics,” Mrs Ward said.
“Brazil’s history and tradition in football is known the world over and we can’t wait to host them for these epic clashes.”
The NSW Government has increased the venue’s capacity to 75%, allowing up to 22,500 fully vaccinated fans to attend and the opportunity for a new ground record for a Matildas game at CommBank Stadium.
Football Australia Chief Executive Officer James Johnson said the sport had paved the way for the return of major international events to Sydney.
“We are thrilled to have our Commonwealth Bank Matildas back on home soil after almost 600 days since their last match in Australia and it will be great to see our fans back for these matches supporting Australia’s most popular women’s team,” Mr Johnson said.
Commonwealth Bank Matildas Captain Sam Kerr said the team couldn’t wait to play in front of a home crowd again.
“We’re all so excited to be coming back to Australia! We understand it’s been a difficult year for everyone through the pandemic and we can’t wait to reconnect with our amazing fans again,” Ms Kerr said.
“Our team has been looking forward to these games all year and we are so excited they are finally here.”
Due to travel restrictions, only people who reside in Greater Sydney can attend the games and must be fully vaccinated.