{"id":544479,"date":"2026-07-26T07:24:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T07:24:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/544479\/"},"modified":"2026-07-26T07:24:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T07:24:20","slug":"for-the-record-our-list-of-new-zealands-50-largest-ever-football-crowds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/544479\/","title":{"rendered":"For the record: Our list of New Zealand&#8217;s 50 largest-ever football crowds"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If there\u2019s one thing that\u2019s defined the growing popularity of football in New Zealand, it\u2019s the size of the crowds willing to pack our stadiums in recent years.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks in no small part to the 2023 FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup, it\u2019s becoming increasingly common for more than 20,000 to fill our grounds for international games and club games.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, more than half of the matches to draw crowds of more than 20,000 fans have taken place since mid-2023.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.friendsoffootballnz.com\/2023\/07\/26\/record-books-rewritten-as-crowds-get-behind-fifa-womens-world-cup\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE: Record books rewritten as crowds get behind FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup<\/a> &gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<\/p>\n<p>The arrival of A-League club Auckland FC has provided capacity crowds at Go Media Stadium (formerly known as Mt Smart Stadium), and in July 2026 they set a record for a men\u2019s game in New Zealand when 40,112 watched them play Tottenham Hotspur at Eden Park.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-55595 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Go-Media-Stadium.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"635\"  \/>The A-League semi-final between Auckland FC and Melbourne Victory drew a crowd of 29,148 in May 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Friends of Football have put together this list of the games with the biggest attendances \u2014 most are the official recorded attendances, and some are the estimated crowds reported at the time.<\/p>\n<p>This list is a work in progress, and if you think we\u2019ve overlooked a game, please let us know the teams and provide us with any links or reports that list the attendance as 20,000 or more.<\/p>\n<p>Please send your information to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.friendsoffootballnz.com\/2026\/07\/25\/for-the-record-our-list-of-new-zealands-largest-ever-football-crowds\/mailto:editor@friendsoffootballnz.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">editor@friendsoffootballnz.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, here\u2019s our list \u2026<\/p>\n<p>Main photo: Eden Park was filled to capacity three times during the 2023 FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n<p>For the record<\/p>\n<p>Here are the largest attendances for football matches in New Zealand (updated in July 2026):<\/p>\n<p>43,217 (1st=)<\/p>\n<p>FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Saturday August 5, 2023<br \/>Eden Park, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>Switzerland 1\u00a0(own goal 11\u2032)<br \/>Spain 5\u00a0(Aitana Bonmati 5\u2032, 36\u2032, Alba Redondo 17\u2032, Laia Codina 45\u2032, Jennifer Hermoso 70\u2032)<\/p>\n<p>43,217 (1st=)<\/p>\n<p>FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Friday August 11, 2023<br \/>Eden Park, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>Japan 1\u00a0(Honoka Hayashi 87\u2032)<br \/>Sweden 2\u00a0(Amanda Ilestedt 32\u2032, Filippa Angeldal 51\u2032 pen)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.friendsoffootballnz.com\/2023\/08\/11\/video-highlights-from-world-cup-quarter-finals-in-auckland-and-wellington\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE: Highlights from quarter-final at Eden Park<\/a>\u00a0&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<\/p>\n<p>43,217\u00a0(1st=)<\/p>\n<p>FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Tuesday August 15, 2023<br \/>Eden Park, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>Spain 2\u00a0(Salma Celeste Paralluelo Ayingono 81\u2032, Olga Carmona 89\u2032)<br \/>Sweden 1\u00a0(Rebecka Blomqvist 88\u2032)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.friendsoffootballnz.com\/2023\/08\/15\/video-highlights-from-fifa-womens-world-cup-semi-final-at-eden-park\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE: Highlights from semi-final at Eden Park<\/a>\u00a0&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<\/p>\n<p>42,958 (4th)<\/p>\n<p>FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Tuesday August 1, 2023<br \/>Eden Park, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>United States 0<br \/>Portugal 0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.friendsoffootballnz.com\/2023\/08\/01\/video-new-crowd-record-set-as-42958-pack-aucklands-eden-park\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE: New crowd record set as 42,958 pack Auckland\u2019s Eden Park<\/a>\u00a0&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<\/p>\n<p>42,137 (5th)<\/p>\n<p>FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Thursday July 20, 2023<br \/>Eden Park, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>New Zealand 1\u00a0(Hannah Wilkinson 48\u2032)<br \/>Norway 0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.friendsoffootballnz.com\/2023\/07\/20\/ferns-display-newfound-derring-do-in-triumphant-start-to-fifa-womens-world-cup\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE: Ferns display newfound derring-do in triumphant start to FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup<\/a>\u00a0&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-23184 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Eden-Park-record-crowd.jpeg\"   alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"542\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/>Eden Park\u2019s attendance is announced to the crowd on the digital billboard during the Football Ferns\u2019 match against Norway. Photo: Shane Wenzlick \/\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/phototek.co.nz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Phototek<\/a>.<br \/>\n41,107 (6th)<\/p>\n<p>FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Saturday July 22, 2023<br \/>Eden Park, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>United States 3\u00a0(Sophia Smith 14\u2032, 45+7\u2032, Lindsey Horan 77\u2032)<br \/>Vietnam 0<\/p>\n<p>40,112 (7th)<\/p>\n<p>International football festival<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Sunday July 26, 2026<br \/>Eden Park, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>Auckland FC 0<br \/>Tottenham Hotspur 2 (Dane Scarlett 12\u2032, Richarlison 70\u2032)<\/p>\n<p>37,034 (8th)<\/p>\n<p>FIFA Men\u2019s World Cup, intercontinental play-off<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Saturday November 11, 2017<br \/>Westpac Stadium, Wellington<\/p>\n<p>New Zealand 0<br \/>Peru 0<\/p>\n<p>35,179 (9th)<\/p>\n<p>FIFA Men\u2019s World Cup, intercontinental play-off<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Saturday November 14, 2009<br \/>Westpac Stadium, Wellington<\/p>\n<p>New Zealand 1\u00a0(Rory Fallon 45\u2032)<br \/>Bahrain 0<\/p>\n<p>34,985 (10th)<\/p>\n<p>International friendly<\/p>\n<p>Game played on September 25, 2022<br \/>Eden Park, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>New Zealand 0<br \/>Australia 2 (Mitchell Duke 54\u2032 Jason Cummings 80\u2032 pen)<\/p>\n<p>34,697 (11th)<\/p>\n<p>FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Sunday July 30, 2023<br \/>Eden Park, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>Norway 6\u00a0(Sophie Rom\u00e1n Haug 6\u2032, 17\u2032, 90+5\u2032, Caroline Graham Hansen 31\u2032, own goal 48\u2032, Guro Reiten 53\u2032 pen)<br \/>Philippines 0<\/p>\n<p>33,626 (12th)<\/p>\n<p>FIFA Men\u2019s World Cup, intercontinental play-off<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Wednesday November 20, 2013<br \/>Westpac Stadium, Wellington<\/p>\n<p>New Zealand 2\u00a0(Chris James 80\u2032 pen, Rory Fallon 83\u2032)<br \/>Mexico 4 (Oribe Peralta 14\u2032, 29\u2032, 33\u2032, Carlos Pen\u0101 87\u2032)<\/p>\n<p>33,298 (13th)<\/p>\n<p>Men\u2019s A-League, semi-final<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Saturday May 19, 2024<br \/>Sky Stadium, Wellington<\/p>\n<p>Wellington Phoenix 1\u00a0(Oskar Zawada 90+9\u2032)<br \/>Melbourne Victory 2\u00a0(Adama Traor\u00e9 82\u2032, Chris Ikonomidis 102\u2032)<br \/>*After extra time. Victory win 2-1 on aggregate.<\/p>\n<p>33,042 (14th)<\/p>\n<p>FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Saturday August 5, 2023<br \/>Sky Stadium, Wellington<\/p>\n<p>Japan 3\u00a0(own goal 15\u2032, Risa Shimizu 50\u2032, Hinata Miyazawa 81\u2032)<br \/>Norway 1\u00a0(Guro Reiten 20\u2032)<\/p>\n<p>32,941 (15th)<\/p>\n<p>Men\u2019s A-League, play-offs<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Sunday March 7, 2010<br \/>Westpac Stadium, Wellington<\/p>\n<p>Wellington Phoenix 3\u00a0(Tim Brown, Paul Ifill, Eugene Dadi)<br \/>Newcastle Jets 1\u00a0(Matt Thompson)<\/p>\n<p>32,357 (16th)<\/p>\n<p>FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Tuesday July 25, 2023<br \/>Sky Stadium, Wellington<\/p>\n<p>New Zealand 0<br \/>Philippines 1\u00a0(Sarina Bolden 24\u2032)<\/p>\n<p>32,021 (17th)<\/p>\n<p>FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Friday August 11, 2023<br \/>Sky Stadium, Wellington<\/p>\n<p>Spain 2\u00a0(Mariona Caldentey 81\u2032 pen, Salma Celeste Paralluelo Ayingono 111\u2032)<br \/>Netherlands 1\u00a0(Stefanie van der Gragt 90+1\u2032)<br \/>*After extra time<\/p>\n<p>31,853 (18th)<\/p>\n<p>Exhibition game<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Saturday December 1, 2007<br \/>Westpac Stadium, Wellington<\/p>\n<p>Wellington Phoenix 1 (Ross Aloisi 7\u2032)<br \/>LA Galaxy 4\u00a0(Clint Mathis 17\u2032, Landon Donovan 45\u2032, Carlos Pavon 48\u2032, David Beckham 77\u2032 pen)<\/p>\n<p>30,968 (19th)<\/p>\n<p>Carlsberg Football United Tour double header<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Saturday July 26, 2014<br \/>Westpac Stadium, Wellington<\/p>\n<p>West Ham United 1 (own goal 50\u2032)<br \/>Sydney FC (Gameiro 4\u2019, 65\u2019, Brosque 26\u2019)<\/p>\n<p>Wellington Phoenix 0<br \/>Newcastle United 1 (Yoan Gouffran 41\u2032)<\/p>\n<p>30,889 (20th)<\/p>\n<p>FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Monday July 24, 2023<br \/>Eden Park, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>Italy 1\u00a0(Cristiana Girelli 87\u2019)<br \/>Argentina 0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-51827\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NZ-v-Kuwait-1981.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"696\"  \/>The All Whites\u2019 World Cup qualifier against Kuwait ended in turmoil at Mt Smart Stadium when police were needed to escort match officials off the pitch following controversial decisions. Photo credit: Dave Barker.<br \/>\n30,000 (21st)<\/p>\n<p>*Estimate<\/p>\n<p>FIFA Men\u2019s World Cup qualifier<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Saturday October 10, 1981<br \/>Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>New Zealand 1 (Steve Wooddin 24\u2032)<br \/>Kuwait 2 (Faisel Al Dekheel 61\u2032 pen, Jassim Yaqoub 90\u2032)<\/p>\n<p>29,148 (22nd)<\/p>\n<p>Men\u2019s A-League, semi-final, leg 2<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Saturday May 24, 2025<br \/>Go Media Stadium Mt Smart, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>Auckland FC 0<br \/>Melbourne Victory 2\u00a0(Zin\u00e9dine Machach 55\u2032, Bruno Fornaroli 60\u2032)<br \/>*Melbourne Victory won 2-1 on aggregate<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.friendsoffootballnz.com\/2025\/05\/24\/watch-highlights-from-auckland-fcs-semi-final-loss-to-melbourne-victory\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">WATCH: Highlights from Auckland FC\u2019s semi-final loss to Melbourne Victory<\/a> &gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<\/p>\n<p>29,143 (23rd)<\/p>\n<p>FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Saturday July 29, 2023<br \/>Sky Stadium, Wellington<\/p>\n<p>Sweden 5\u00a0(Amanda Ilestedt 39\u2032, 50*, Fridolina Rolf\u00f6 44\u2032, Stina Blackstenius 45+1\u2032, Rebecka Blomqvist 90+5\u2032)<br \/>Italy 0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.friendsoffootballnz.com\/2023\/07\/29\/video-highlights-from-latest-fifa-womens-world-cup-game-in-wellington\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE: Highlights from latest FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup game in Wellington<\/a>\u00a0&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<\/p>\n<p>28,374 (24th)<\/p>\n<p>Grand final, Men\u2019s A-League<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Saturday May 23, 2026<br \/>Go Media Stadium, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>Auckland FC 1 (Cameron Howieson 60\u2032)<br \/>Sydney 0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.friendsoffootballnz.com\/2026\/05\/23\/auckland-fc-win-a-league-title-in-front-of-home-crowd\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE: Auckland FC win A-League title in front of home crowd<\/a> &gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<\/p>\n<p>28,000 (25th)<\/p>\n<p>*Estimated<\/p>\n<p>Touring game<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Saturday August 9, 1924<br \/>Auckland Domain, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>Auckland 5 (scorers unknown)<br \/>Chinese Universities 1 (scorer unknown)<\/p>\n<p>27,312 (26th)<\/p>\n<p>FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Thursday July 27, 2023<br \/>Sky Stadium, Wellington<\/p>\n<p>United States 1\u00a0(Lindsey Horan 62\u2032)<br \/>Netherlands 1\u00a0(Jill Roord 17\u2032)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.friendsoffootballnz.com\/2023\/07\/28\/video-highlights-from-latest-world-cup-games-in-wellington-and-hamilton\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE: Highlights from latest World Cup games in Wellington and Hamilton<\/a>\u00a0&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-50054\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Auckland-FC-stock-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"635\"  \/>In their first nine home games, new A-League club Auckland FC averaged more than 16,000 a game at Go Media Stadium.<br \/>\n27,009 (27th)<\/p>\n<p>Men\u2019s A-League, regular season<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Saturday February 22, 2025<br \/>Go Media Stadium Mt Smart, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>Auckland FC 6\u00a0(Neyder Moreno 31\u2032, 36\u2032, 60\u2032, Logan Rogerson 40\u2032, 80\u2032, Jesse Randall 90+3\u2032)<br \/>Wellington Phoenix 1\u00a0(Luke Brooke-Smith 49\u2032)<\/p>\n<p>27,000 (28th)<\/p>\n<p>*Estimated<\/p>\n<p>FIFA Men\u2019s World Cup qualifier<\/p>\n<p>Game played on October 3, 1981<br \/>Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>New Zealand 1 (Ricki Herbert 45\u2032)<br \/>China 0<\/p>\n<p>26,253 (29th)<\/p>\n<p>Men\u2019s A-League, regular season<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Saturday December 7, 2024<br \/>Go Media Stadium Mt Smart, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>Auckland FC 2 (own goal, Nando Pijnaker 70\u2032)<br \/>Wellington Phoenix 1 (Kosta Barbarouses 82\u2032)<\/p>\n<p>26,252 (30th)<\/p>\n<p>Men\u2019s A-League, regular season<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Saturday November 2, 2024<br \/>Sky Stadium, Wellington<\/p>\n<p>Wellington Phoenix 0<br \/>Auckland FC 2\u00a0(Jake Brimmer 89\u2032, 90+6\u2032)<\/p>\n<p>26,000* (31st)<\/p>\n<p>*Estimated<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Sunday May 28, 1967<br \/>Carlaw Park, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>Auckland 1 (George Lamont)<br \/>Manchester United 8 (John Aston 3, George Best 2, Noel Cantwell 2, Brian Kidd)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.friendsoffootballnz.com\/2022\/07\/30\/unearthing-a-gem-a-famous-goal-we-can-enjoy-again\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">WATCH: Unearthing a gem \u2014 a famous goal we can enjoy again<\/a> &gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<\/p>\n<p>25,947 (32nd)<\/p>\n<p>FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Sunday July 30, 2023<br \/>Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin<\/p>\n<p>New Zealand 0<br \/>Switzerland 0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.friendsoffootballnz.com\/2023\/07\/30\/agonising-end-to-fifa-womens-world-cup-for-ferns-and-their-fans\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE: Agonising end to FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup for Ferns and their fans<\/a>\u00a0&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<\/p>\n<p>25,399 (33rd)<\/p>\n<p>Wrexham tour<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Saturday July 19, 2025<br \/>Sky Stadium, Wellington<\/p>\n<p>Wellington Phoenix 1\u00a0(Luke Flowerdew 49\u2032)<br \/>Wrexham 0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.friendsoffootballnz.com\/2025\/07\/19\/watch-highlights-from-phoenix-young-guns-win-against-wrexham\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">WATCH: Highlights from Phoenix young guns\u2019 win against Wrexham<\/a>\u00a0&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<\/p>\n<p>25,317 (34th)<\/p>\n<p>FIFA U-20 Men\u2019s World Cup, final<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Saturday June 20, 2015<br \/>North Harbour Stadium, Albany, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>Brazil 1 (Andreas Pereira 73\u2032)<br \/>Serbia 2 (Stani\u0161a Mandi\u0107 70\u2032, Nemanja Maksimovi\u0107 118\u2032)<br \/>*After extra time<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-51807\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/All-Whites-celebrate-Boxall-goal.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\"  \/>All Whites Marko Stamenic (left) and Liberato Cacace celebrate their team\u2019s first goal against New Caledonia with fans. Photo credit: OFC Media \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/phototek.co.nz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Phototek<\/a>.<br \/>\n25,132 (35th)<\/p>\n<p>FIFA Men\u2019s World Cup Oceania qualifiers final<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Monday March 24, 2025<br \/>Eden Park, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>New Caledonia 0<br \/>New Zealand 3\u00a0(Michael Boxall 61\u2032, Kosta Barbarouses 66\u2032, Eli Just 80\u2032)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.friendsoffootballnz.com\/2025\/03\/24\/1982-2010-and-now-were-going-to-the-2026-fifa-mens-world-cup\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE: 1982, 2010 \u2026 and now we\u2019re going to the 2026 FIFA Men\u2019s World Cup!<\/a>\u00a0&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<\/p>\n<p>25,000 (36th)<\/p>\n<p>FIFA U-20 Men\u2019s World Cup, opening game<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Saturday May 30, 2015<br \/>North Harbour Stadium, Albany, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>New Zealand 0<br \/>Ukraine 0<\/p>\n<p>24,267 (37th)<\/p>\n<p>Men\u2019s A-League, finals series<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Sunday February 21, 2010<br \/>Westpac Stadium, Wellington<\/p>\n<p>Wellington Phoenix 1 (Chris Greenacre 37\u2032)<br \/>Perth Glory 1 (Scott Neville 67\u2032)<br \/>*Phoenix won 4-2 on penalties after extra time<\/p>\n<p>24,221 (38th)<\/p>\n<p>Men\u2019s A-League, regular season<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Sunday April 27, 2025<br \/>Go Media Stadium, Mt Smart, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>Auckland FC 1 (Marlee Francois 62\u2032)<br \/>Perth Glory 0<\/p>\n<p>24,105 (39th)<\/p>\n<p>Men\u2019s A-League, regular season<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Saturday May 22, 2021<br \/>Sky Stadium, Wellington<\/p>\n<p>Wellington Phoenix 3 (Clayton Lewis 38\u2032, Reno Piscopo 57\u2032, Tomer Hemed 63\u2032)<br \/>Western United 0<\/p>\n<p>23,648 (40th)<\/p>\n<p>Men\u2019s A-League, regular season<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Friday February 15, 2019<br \/>Eden Park, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>Wellington Phoenix 1 (Roy Krishna 57\u2032)<br \/>Melbourne Victory 1 (Kelsuke Honda 67\u2032 pen\u2019)<\/p>\n<p>22,993 (41st)<\/p>\n<p>Men\u2019s A-League, regular season<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Saturday December 6, 2025<br \/>Go Media Stadium, Mt Smart, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>Auckland FC 3 (Lachlan Brook 7\u2032, Francis de Vries 72\u2032, Guillermo May 80\u2032)<br \/>Wellington Phoenix 1 (Alex Rufer 55\u2032)<\/p>\n<p>22,966 (42nd)<\/p>\n<p>FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Friday July 21, 2023<br \/>Sky Stadium, Wellington<\/p>\n<p>Spain 3\u00a0(own goal 21\u2032, Aitana Bonmati 23\u2032, Esther Gonzalez 27\u2032)<br \/>Costa Rica 0<\/p>\n<p>22,233 (43rd)<\/p>\n<p>Men\u2019s A-League, regular season<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Sunday May 30, 2021<br \/>Eden Park, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>Wellington Phoenix 2 (Tomer Hemed 24\u2032, Jaushua Sotiro 80\u2032)<br \/>Perth Glory 2 (Bruno Fornaroli 61, Callum Timmins 75\u2032)<\/p>\n<p>21,000 (44th)<\/p>\n<p>*Estimated<\/p>\n<p>Friendly<\/p>\n<p>Game played on May 26, 1982<br \/>Athletic Park, Wellington<\/p>\n<p>New Zealand 1 (Steve Wooddin)<br \/>Watford 1 (Luther Blissett, pen)<\/p>\n<p>20,983 (45th)<\/p>\n<p>FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Wednesday July 26, 2023<br \/>Eden Park, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>Spain 5\u00a0(Teresa Abelleira 9\u2032, Jennifer Hermoso 13\u2032, 70\u2032, Alba Redondo 69\u2032, 85\u2032)<br \/>Zambia 0<\/p>\n<p>20,957 (46th)<\/p>\n<p>FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Monday July 31, 2023<br \/>Sky Stadium, Wellington<\/p>\n<p>Japan 4\u00a0(Hinata Miyazawa 12\u2032, 40\u2032, Riko Ueki 29\u2032, Mina Tanaka 82\u2032)<br \/>Spain 0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.friendsoffootballnz.com\/2023\/07\/31\/video-highlights-from-fifa-womens-world-cup-games-in-wellington-hamilton\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE: Highlights from Japan\u2019s win against Spain in Wellington<\/a>\u00a0&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<\/p>\n<p>20,947 (47th)<\/p>\n<p>FIFA Men\u2019s World Cup\u00a0OFC qualifiers, semi-finals<\/p>\n<p>Games played on Friday March 21, 2025<br \/>Sky Stadium, Wellington<\/p>\n<p>Tahiti 0<br \/>New Caledonia 3\u00a0(Georges Gope-Fenepej 50\u2032, 75\u2032, Lues Waya 90+1\u2032)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.friendsoffootballnz.com\/2025\/03\/21\/new-caledonia-clinch-place-in-final-after-world-cup-qualifier-win-against-tahiti\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE: New Caledonia clinch place in final after World Cup qualifier win against Tahiti<\/a>\u00a0&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<\/p>\n<p>New Zealand 7\u00a0(Chris Wood 6\u2032, 56\u2032, 60\u2032, Sarpreet Singh 16\u2032, Tyler Bindon 23\u2032, Tim Payne 32\u2032, Kosta Barbarouses 73\u2032)<br \/>Fiji 0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.friendsoffootballnz.com\/2025\/03\/21\/one-down-one-to-go-ruthless-all-whites-reach-fifa-world-cup-qualifiers-final\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE: One down, one to go! Ruthless All Whites reach FIFA World Cup qualifiers final<\/a> &gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<\/p>\n<p>20,078 (48th)<\/p>\n<p>Men\u2019s A-League, regular season<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Saturday November 19, 2011<br \/>Westpac Stadium, Wellington<\/p>\n<p>Wellington Phoenix 1 (own goal 83\u2032)<br \/>Adelaide United 1 (Bruce Djit\u00e9 44\u2032)<\/p>\n<p>20,000 (49th)<\/p>\n<p>*Estimated<\/p>\n<p>Friendly<\/p>\n<p>Game played on May 29, 1982<br \/>Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>New Zealand 0<br \/>Watford 2 (Luther Blissett 2)<\/p>\n<p>19,183 (50th)<\/p>\n<p>Carlsberg Football United Tour\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Game played on Tuesday July 28, 2014<br \/>Eden Park, Auckland<\/p>\n<p>Wellington Phoenix 2 (Andrew Durante 11\u2032, Alex Rodrigues 27\u2032)<br \/>West Ham United 1 (Mauro Z\u00e1rate 70\u2032)<\/p>\n<p>This story was first published on December 25, 2024, and was last updated on July 26, 2026.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.friendsoffootballnz.com\/latest-news\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">More football stories<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If there\u2019s one thing that\u2019s defined the growing popularity of football in New Zealand, it\u2019s the size of&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":171163,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[244545,1467,5071,244546,171710,111,43,139,69,163492],"class_list":["post-544479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-attendances","tag-eden-park","tag-feature","tag-go-media-stadium","tag-mt-smart-stadium","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-sky-stadium"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/544479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=544479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/544479\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=544479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=544479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=544479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}