New Zealand fans react as they watch New Zealand All Whites vs Costa Rica at a World Cup qualifying match played in Qatar in 2022. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Hospitality operators are not expecting a FIFA qualifier for the All Whites in Wellington to draw in big numbers for them.
The All Whites are taking on Fiji on Friday night in the semi-finals of the Oceania World Cup qualifying play-offs in Wellington.
New Caledonia is also playing Tahiti.
New Zealand were last at the World Cup in 2010 and since then have failed to qualify after losing inter-continental play-offs.
But they are favourites to win tonight, as well as Monday's match in Auckland - which would then see them qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Match promoter New Zealand Football said it was expecting around 20,000 attendees at the match on Friday night, but that number could be higher depending on the number of walk ups.
Sky Stadium seats 34,500 people.
The managing director of Trinity Group Jeremy Smith said they were "really pleased" to have the qualifier game in Wellington.
But he said it seemed there had not been a lot of marketing about the game and a lot of people did not know it was on.
He said they were only aware of five people who were staying at the hotel for the game and accommodation was not sold out.
New Zealand Football said the games had a "substantial marketing budget", and the Wellington game could be among the biggest events at Sky Stadium this year.
"[It] will be the biggest ever OFC competition to date held in Aotearoa New Zealand according to our records," it said.
Hospitality New Zealand chief executive Steve Armitage said Wellington was in critical need of "high quality events".
"Certainly, hospitality operators are ready to host fans before and after the game, and any injection of fans into the central city is going to be very welcome."
But he, too, was not expecting to see a huge boost on Friday evening.
Armitage said the game being against a team significantly behind the All Whites in the global rankings could have contributed to a lower level of interest.
But he said he would have expected English Premier League player Chris Wood, who was captaining the All Whites, to have been a drawcard for some.
Dale Warburton the leader of White Noise - the unofficial support group of the All Whites - meanwhile told Midday Report that the football community were well aware of the match, but he was unsure whether that had broadened to the wider community.
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