It was a fairytale beginning. In front of a noisy crowd of more than 40,000 fans at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand – the lowest-ranked team to host a Women’s World Cup – kicked off the tournament with a surprise 1-0 win against Norway.
On a biting winter night, the opening ceremony was a spectacle befitting the momentous occasion for New Zealand, a nation known more for rugby. In the stands, attenders swung poi (a ball attached to a cord used in traditional Māori dance) distributed on arrival in a nod to tangata whenua, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand, to the rousing tune of the New Zealand national anthem.
The match was preceded by a moment’s silence for the two victims of a shooting in the city on Thursday morning. Then from the opening whistle the crowd erupted in cheers. The excitement reached a crescendo less than three minutes into the second half when Hannah Wilkinson finished off a sweeping move by scoring what would prove to be the decisive goal.
In the packed crowd, the prevailing sentiment was thrill, not only at New Zealand hosting the World Cup but at women’s sport taking centre stage. Many fans said the 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup final at Eden Park, where the crowd of 42,579 was a record for a standalone women’s sporting event in the country – had spurred their attendance on Thursday night.
Jerrica Tomlinson and Anne Hellaby, both football rookies, were, like many, there “to support the women – any women”, they said. Hellaby had been at the rugby final and said that had prompted her and her husband to consider events they otherwise wouldn’t have attended.
To grasp a sense of football, she and Tomlinson had “literally just been asking a bunch of questions”, Hellaby said. “My football connection is Ted Lasso – and that’s about it,” she said. “But Ted Lasso is great, so I thought, well, it’ll be fun.”
Tomlison said: “The sportsmanship is really good, that encouraged me to come to this. The level is amazing.”
Hannah Morris and Andre Kraakman had a similar story. Morris, a rugby fan, said: “I was never a soccer person, but after today … I would definitely come back for another game. Especially being a women’s team, that plays a big part.”
Kraakman, no stranger to football, said the event was special. “It’s such a good atmosphere here. Even if you don’t really like the game, it’s great just being here, being amongst it.”
That atmosphere held throughout: the rolling thunder of fans’ feet hitting the floor of the stands was electric, and the crowd was vociferous in its passion, whether cheering for the home team or, in some instances, booing the opposition.
Simon and Hazel Honour, a rare sight on the night dressed in Norway’s red, blue and white, with Norwegian flags painted on their cheeks, said that despite being outnumbered, they felt supported “because we’re the minority here. We’re hoping for a Norway win, or a tie.”
The couple had driven to Auckland from Rotorua, an almost three-hour drive, on a whim. Simon Honour has Norwegian ancestry and decided to back Norway “because we thought there wouldn’t be too many Norwegians here to represent”. He was not incorrect in his assessment.
Ruten Mukhbrjee described himself as a “huge soccer fan – particularly Arsenal, having lived in London”. He said: “I’m here supporting the cause. Football is in my blood: I grew up in west Africa, watching, playing football.”
His companion Marko Ruzic, originally from Slovakia, had also grown up steeped in the beautiful game. “In Slovakia it’s pretty big. Growing up, I had women friends who played and I was there, supporting them.”
Ruzic added: “It’s the women’s cup, it’s just so huge. I always felt women’s football was never as big as it should have been. I’m just really happy to see it reach the level they have, it’s really exciting.”
Reflecting football’s status as the world’s – though not yet New Zealand’s – most popular game, the crowd was diverse in age, gender and ethnicity. Taha Niazi, 12, originally from Pakistan, plays for an Auckland club and has ambitions of his own, attended with his mother to support New Zealand.
Jenny Mates was fervent after the match. “Oh my god, that was the best game ever. I wasn’t previously a soccer fan but now I am hooked. Absolutely hooked,” she said.
Dave Sorrell, wearing a New Zealand top, said he was there “for one of the biggest sporting events in the world … to support my home team and a worldwide event that we might never get again”.
Kombe Kampanga and Laura Huijser, two young women new to football, Kampanga draped in a New Zealand flag, said that while neither had been born in New Zealand, this was their country, their team. The fact it was women playing was the final clincher.
