Football World Cup Tickets: The New Zealand side, Auckland City, entered the Club World Cup as the tournament’s underdogs, suffering a 10-0 thrashing at the hands of German giants Bayern Munich. However, by the conclusion of the group stage, the semi-professional team earned admiration by holding Argentine heavyweights Boca Juniors to a 1-1 stalemate.
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They achieved this feat with their 20-year-old goalkeeper Nathan Garrow, a full-time university student back in New Zealand, and their goal-scorer Christian Gray, a trainee educator who admitted his “assignments are stacking up” in his everyday profession.
“It was a tremendous outcome and a testament to Auckland City’s perseverance,” said Andrew Pragnell, the CEO of New Zealand Football, in an interview with The Athletic.
"We are incredibly proud. We’ve got students, teachers, and individuals from various professions back home representing us, going up against a South American football titan. That’s the beauty of the sport. It can be a great equalizer."
The story made major headlines across New Zealand. Everyone was aware of the Bayern result. It could have demoralized the squad, but it had the opposite effect. They bounced back and showed more determination. This is a typical Kiwi quality, when adversity strikes, we dig in.
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“Bayern are a multi-billion-euro club and we’re aware of the immense value of their roster, so while some might argue that a 10-0 defeat was predictable, no one would have foreseen a draw against Boca Juniors by an ‘amateur’ outfit. The team can hold their heads up high, representing the country. I’d like to think the goalkeeper has caught the attention of a few scouts after his recent performances. he’s young and showed remarkable potential.”
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Although Auckland City’s story grabbed headlines, it doesn’t fully capture the broader advancements in New Zealand football or the ambitious vision for the game in the country over the coming decades.
New Zealand is most widely recognized for its rugby union dominance through the All Blacks, and the country ranked 11th in the overall medals tally (including 10 gold medals) at the Paris Olympics last summer, earning golds in canoeing, cycling, rowing, athletics, golf, and rugby sevens.
Nevertheless, football has now emerged as the most widely played sport in New Zealand. According to statistics reported by the New Zealand Herald, rugby had 155,568 registered participants in 2024, but football now boasts over 170,000, including those involved in futsal.
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Pragnell acknowledges that the key challenge lies in maintaining that upward momentum by ensuring there are enough volunteers, coaches, and infrastructure to meet rising demand. On the local level, Pragnell notes that many parents are becoming increasingly aware of the physical toll rugby can take, especially with growing awareness around head injuries and concussions. Football’s ease of access is another contributing factor.
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The most recognizable name in the squad is 33-year-old striker Chris Wood, who netted 20 Premier League goals for Nottingham Forest last season. Forest also has two other New Zealand internationals on its books: Marko Stamenic and Tyler Bindon, who spent the 2024-25 campaign out on loan at Olympiacos and Reading, respectively. Additional Kiwi players are plying their trade in Italy, the Netherlands, various Scandinavian leagues, and Major League Soccer (MLS).
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There is ongoing cooperation with the All Blacks as well, including knowledge exchanges with coaches and performance professionals. “They’ve achieved incredible things in terms of team culture and standards, and one reason they’ve become world champions is that they’ve created a winning culture. We’re learning from that.”
In 2023, New Zealand co-hosted the Women’s World Cup alongside Australia. A crowd of 42,137 spectators witnessed New Zealand defeat Norway in their tournament opener at Eden Park. Similar-sized attendances were recorded for U.S. women’s national team matches against Vietnam and Portugal. Over 43,000 fans attended knockout-stage matches, including the round of 16, quarter-final, and semi-final games played at the same venue.
The men’s national team has already secured qualification for the World Cup 2026, marking their third appearance at the tournament, a notable achievement for a country with just over five million citizens. While the team has yet to register a victory at the World Cup, they famously remained unbeaten in the 2010 edition by drawing all three group stage matches, although they failed to progress to the next round.
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