The Matildas will travel across three football venues through the group stage. They start at Tokyo Stadium, move onto Saitama Stadium and then finish the group stage at Ibaraki Kashima Stadium. These three stunning stadiums have excellent capacity for spectators (should any be allowed).
For more information on Tokyo Olympic stadiums, we recommend reading this article from the Sydney Morning Herald.
Tokyo Stadium
Tokyo Stadium will host the first Group G match between Sweden and the USA, in a rematch of the 2016 Olympic Quarter Final. It will then play host to Australia versus New Zealand.
Read more: Group G Preview.
The Stadium was renamed Ajinomoto Stadium in 2003, a result of a sponsorship deal with Ajinomoto Group who are renowned for producing the world’s first umami seasoning, monosodium glutamate (MSG). Ajinomoto are also at the centre of an advertising campaign “Know MSG”, to remove xenophobic misinformation about MSG.
Tokyo Stadium was built in 2000 on what was previously a US military base. With its capacity for 48,000 spectators, it will also host the Modern Pentathlon and Rugby in addition to Olympic Football.
Located in the Chofu area about 25 kilometres west of Tokyo, the Stadium is also home to two J-League teams FC Tokyo and Tokyo Verdy.
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The Stadium also has some noteworthy environmental initiatives. These include one of the country’s largest solar power generation facilities for stadiums, a CO2 reducing greening stadium wall and wind-powered outdoor LED lights.
Saitama Stadium
Australia’s second match, against Sweden, will be featured at Saitama Stadium, the largest dedicated football stadium in Japan and one of the largest in Asia, with capacity for 64,000 spectators.
The stadium is the home ground for Urawa Reds and was built in 2001 to host matches for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Saitama Stadium hosted four matches during the tournament, including Japan’s first match against Belgium.
Saitama Stadium is part of a 60-acre park that includes three football fields and two futsal courts.
Ibaraki Kashima Stadium
Australia will play their final group stage match against the USA at Ibaraki Kashima Stadium. Home of the Kashima Antlers, this is a beautiful dedicated football stadium featuring excellent views from all 40,000 seats.
Opened in 1993, this is an older stadium but was expanded in 2001.
To highlight the distance you would travel, if you were actually able to be an attending fan at the Olympics, here is a Google maps view.
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