Montreal Roses Set Record Attendance: Is Women's Professional Sport a Gold Mine in Quebec?

Quebec sports fans turned out in historic numbers for women’s professional and international athletics, anchoring a series of attendance milestones across soccer, basketball, hockey, tennis, and volleyball.

The Roses de Montréal drew 17 077 spectators to Stade Saputo for a Northern Super League match against the Halifax Tides. The figure established a new attendance record for the professional women’s soccer league, capped by a 1-0 victory for the home side.

That milestone joins a string of landmark crowds across the province over recent seasons, illustrating a sustained public appetite for women’s sports events in Quebec and major Canadian venues.

Montreal Hockey Crowd Sets World Standard

Ice hockey holds a central place in the region’s sports culture, and a match set a global benchmark at the Bell Centre on April 20, 2024. A crowd of 21 105 fans packed the downtown arena to watch Montreal face Toronto, establishing a world record.

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“[J’ai pris un moment] pour regarder les serviettes blanches dans les estrades, les gens debout,” Montreal captain Marie-Philip Poulin said following the game, describing the atmosphere as an unforgettable experience.

WNBA Expansion Draws Record Turnout in Montreal and Toronto

Professional basketball achieved a major milestone in July 2026 when the WNBA expansion franchise in Toronto, the Tempo, hosted the Dallas Wings at the Bell Centre on July 11, 2026. A crowd of 20 996 fans filled the seats to watch the matchup, marking the largest regular-season attendance in the 30-year history of the WNBA.

International Volleyball and Soccer Draw Big Crowds

International events have found similar enthusiasm outside Montreal. On June 6, 2026, the Centre Vidéotron in Quebec City welcomed 10 483 spectators for a Volleyball Nations League match between Canada and France. Despite rainy weather that day which led to the cancellation of a local Capitales baseball game, the attendance more than doubled the previous North American tournament record of 5100, finishing with a victory for the Canadian squad.

Soccer has drawn even larger historical figures in the province. During the 2015 Women’s World Cup, Montreal’s Olympic Stadium hosted a semifinal match between Germany and the United States in front of more than 51 000 fans. While the all-time Canadian attendance record for a women’s World Cup match remains 54 027 set during a quarterfinal between Canada and England in Vancouver, a match between Canada and the Netherlands in Montreal drew more than 45 000.

Tennis Draws Record Numbers in Montreal

In tennis, the National Bank Open at Stade IGA in Montreal recorded more than 287 000 total spectators during its August 2025 tournament, fueled by the deep tournament run of Canadian player Victoria Mboko. The total surpassed previous Canadian attendance marks for the women’s event, following a 2023 edition in Montreal that drew 219 667 fans.