The indigenous tradition of Australia and New Zealand, the hosts of the World Cup, and a message of unity and female empowerment came together at the opening ceremony of the event, which starts this Thursday and ends on August 20.
With a capacity of close to fifty thousand spectators, the Eden Park stadium in Auckland, the most populous city in New Zealand, was decked out to host a fast-paced, ten-minute opening ceremony and the first match of the World Cup between New Zealand and Norway.
A duel that ended with the surprising victory of the hosts by 1 goal to 0. Hannah Wilkinson had the honor of scoring the first goal of the tournament after 48 minutes, unleashing the madness of the ‘Black Ferns’ fans at Eden Park.
The festive atmosphere and the desire for football took over the atmosphere in a city that a few hours before suffered a shooting that has left three dead and six injured. The incident occurred at 7:23 a.m. local time (7:23 p.m. GMT on Wednesday) at a construction site in the central area when the attacker entered a building and opened fire, according to police.
However, as FIFA has assured, tonight’s opening game at Eden Park is proceeding as planned and the stands were packed with fans to witness the kick-off of the big event.
The best natural landscapes of both organizing countries were projected accompanied by colorful drawings to give way to a performance that showed the world the roots of the two organizing countries Australia and New Zealand with indigenous songs and dances.
The icons of the rainbow serpent from Australia and the manta ray from the North Island of New Zealand took to the lawns of Eden Park to commemorate the legend of the creation of the two islands according to Aboriginal mythology.
The 32 participating teams, equaling for the first time in the men’s tournament, were represented by groups dressed in the colors of the country’s kits while performing a unity dance. In addition, the official ball of the competition was received as a gift from a representation of the participants to the current champions, the United States.
Finally, the World Cup logo was displayed on the central circle of the pitch and the New Zealand artist BENEE and the Australian singer and producer Mallrat performed ‘Do It Again’, the official World Cup song, which reflects the empowerment and unity they seek to characterize the World Cup event.
