Updated: 7:02am – Tickets for New Zealand’s FIFA World Cup Intercontinental playoff against Peru in Wellington next month have been snapped up in their tens of thousands in the first hour of sales yesterday.
And the All Whites believe the rush for tickets is a sign of the ever-increasing support for the national football team.
More than 20,000 tickets for the opening leg of the Football World Cup play-off on 11 November were sold in the first hour of pre-sales today.
Westpac Stadium’s capacity for the match was 38,500 – and all were expected to sell.
All Whites team manager Rob Pickstock said New Zealand Football was delighted by the hot demand for tickets.
“The feeling that the country is getting behind the All Whites has been growing ever since Thursday morning and I think ticket sales as they stand today are verification of that.
“It’s tremendous, the support is building, we’re loving it, the players are feeling it already so we’re looking forward to three weeks’ time.”
Tickets for the general public go on sale on Friday with initial sales to those who have signed up to a waitlist.
Peru are currently ranked 10th in the world but have not made a Football World Cup in 36 years and fans in their droves were expected to travel across the globe to Wellington.
New Zealand Football Chief Executive Andy Martin said ticket sales had been overwhelming and was confident Westpac Stadium would sell-out.
“The speed with which the tickets have been sold this time has been fantastic. I think last time after day one we were at about 14,000 – well here we were about 20,000 after the first hour.
“This is huge, we’ve got some superstars coming back to play in the New Zealand team – never mind the Peru team – playing at the top level of football in the world and they’ll be gracing our field in Wellington.”
Prices for adults range from $59 to $129 while children’s prices started at $29 and were capped at $79.
The Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency said the capital should expect between 10,000 to 12,000 visitors to the city for the game.
The All Whites lost their spot in the 2014 Football World Cup after losing both qualifying games to Mexico. They are ranked 122nd in the world.
-RNZ
Picture: The All Whites celebrate their win over the Solomon Islands last month. Photo: Photosport NZ
