New Zealand Opens Stadiums to FIFA

The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 is being staged in ten stadiums in nine cities in New Zealand and Australia. A total of nine games will be played at Wellington’s Sky Stadium. The tournament starts on 20 July and the final is set for 20 August, the Associated Press reports in a story published online by The Washington Post.

“[Sky Stadium] seats 35,400 and is situated on the waterfront close to the central railway station. The stadium will host seven group matches, including the United States vs Netherlands on 27 July, one match in the round of 16 and one in the quarterfinals.

“New Zealand’s capital has an urban population of 212,000 and is known as a civil service city but with a bohemian vibe. Parliament buildings and the adjacent ‘Beehive’ executive offices are not far from the stadium. Much of the central business district stands on land reclaimed since 1840 and the city also sits on one of New Zealand’s most active fault lines.”

Original article by Associated Press, The Washington Post, June 19, 2023.