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The first football teams are touching down in Auckland ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which kicks off on July 20.
On Thursday morning, teams from Vietnam and Norway are arriving at Auckland’s International Airport – and a warm welcome awaits.
The Vietnam team emerged into the public area at about 9.15am, looking smart in a matching uniform of grey suits and white collared shirts.
They seem slightly dazed from the long flight, but greeted the waiting crowd with smiles, high-fiving the FIFA mascot who is here to welcome them.
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The team was quickly rushed through the arrival gate and to the domestic terminal, heading to Napier.
Abigail Dougherty/Stuff
The Vietnam FIFA Women’s World Cup team arrives at Auckland International Airport on July 6, 2023, ahead of their match with the Football Ferns on July 10.
The arrivals area at Auckland International Airport has been transformed into a football stadium, with makeshift stands set up for fans to watch teams arrive, all decked out with FIFA Women’s World Cup branding.
Women’s football teams from throughout the world are coming to Aotearoa to compete in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, with runs from July 20 to August 20.
Aotearoa’s Football Ferns will play Vietnam in a warm-up game on Monday at 5.30pm, while Norway will be the NZ team’s opponents for the opening match of the tournament at 7pm on July 20.
Abigail Dougherty/Stuff
Auckland Airport’s arrivals hall has been decked out for the Women’s World Cup in time for teams from Vietnam and Norway to arrive on Thursday morning.
Of the 32 teams playing, 15 visiting teams (and the Football Ferns) will be staying throughout the country – in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Dunedin. The remaining 16 teams, including Australia’s Matildas, will stay in Australia.
There will be games in each metro city, with nine in Auckland, nine in Wellington, six in Dunedin and five in Hamilton.
The visiting teams and fans they bring with them are hoped to inject much-needed revenue into the country’s economy, with FIFA predicting the tournament will bring more than $200 million to Aotearoa.
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