International Fans & US Secretary of State Descend on Wellington for FIFA World Cup

Wellington’s streets have been unusually busy with football fever this winter. Supporters from across the world have arrived en masse as the world’s best women’s football players look to score the FIFA World Cup title. 

The tournament has been high stakes, with current favourites, the United States, drawing their match in Wellington 1-1 against The Netherlands, rekindling tensions from the 2019 Women’s World Cup final. Their scrappy 0-0 draw against Portugal has seen the US narrowly progress into the next round.

Sky Stadium (currently ‘Wellington Regional Stadium’ because of naming rights) has been home to other heated matches, including Japan’s 4-0 thrashing of Spain.

It’s sad news for local fans, though. The Football Ferns’ loss to the Philippines and 0-0 draw against Norway eliminated them from the competition.

Tourists from far and wide are ecstatic about the competition. One American fan told Salient  that she came to Aotearoa with a group of friends to support the US side. They said that “it’s just fun to be in this atmosphere” of so many turning up to support women's sport. 

Attractions across the city are enjoying a higher visitation, with nearby sites like Wellington Museum, Te Papa, and the Cable Car having a higher than normal amount of people visiting for this time of the year. 

Foreign dignitaries have also been visiting Wellington to support their home teams. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was among them. His arrival was marked by a heavy police presence on Wellington streets. The motorcade drove through central Wellington, with one KJ resident commenting it was odd that “such a big deal was made out of it, they’re not the King and Queen.”

The quarter final game between [???] and [???] will be played at the stadium this Friday, 11 August.


*We went to print last Thursday, so have no clue who’s playing in the QF, but slay football!!

Ethan Rogacion