Eden Park has provided the stage for many of New Zealand’s most significant sporting occasions, and this Sunday is expected to add another record to that history.
More than 37,000 fans are expected for Tottenham Hotspur’s match against Auckland FC, setting the stage for the largest crowd ever recorded for a senior men’s football match in New Zealand. The anticipated attendance would surpass the current national record and establish a new benchmark for a men’s club fixture in this country.
Eden Park Chief Executive Officer Nick Sautner said hosting Tottenham Hotspur represented a significant moment for football and major events in New Zealand.
“Welcoming a Premier League club with the calibre of Tottenham Hotspur to Eden Park to play Auckland FC is a major occasion for Auckland and New Zealand. We’re thrilled to be hosting Tottenham Hotspur, giving a record number of fans the opportunity to experience one of the most recognised names in world football at our national stadium.
“The response from fans to this match demonstrates the strength of football’s following in New Zealand and the value of attracting truly international content to our shores. Events like this do more than fill a stadium, they inspire young players, create lifelong memories for supporters, attract visitors to Auckland and strengthen New Zealand’s reputation as a destination capable of hosting major international events.”
Nick Becker, Auckland FC CEO, was proud the club was part of such an occasion.
“I think it is a marker of how far we’ve come as a club and how the city has embraced football,” says Becker.
“It’s been 14 years since we last had a Premier League team here, nine years since that famous game against Peru down in Wellington. To eclipse those games and those occasions with this game against Spurs on Sunday I think justifies the investment the Government has made, and the support we’ve had from Auckland Council.
“The Women’s World Cup really showed what investment in sporting events can deliver. It was a great tournament that brought the crowds. After Spurs our invitational women’s team has a game against Chelsea. I hope the same crowds that came out for the World Cup, and come for Sunday’s game, show up against Chelsea.”
As the promoter of the New Zealand International Festival of Football, TEG Sport has been instrumental in bringing Tottenham Hotspur to Auckland and bringing one of the most significant international football events staged in this country to Auckland.
TEG Sport Managing Director Rachael Carroll said:
It is a privilege for TEG Sport to be bringing one the “top Six” English Premier League giants to Auckland and we are delighted with how New Zealand has embraced the event. We are expecting thousands of travelling fans to descend upon Eden Park for some world-class Football.
We know that the 120 strong Tottenham travelling entourage is excited to experience Kiwi hospitality and kick off their all important pre-season tour, and what a brilliant opportunity for Auckland FC to be taking on an English giant of football.
It takes many stakeholders to bring a team of this calibre across the world and this match has been made possible by the support of the New Zealand Government’s Events Attraction Package and Auckland Council Events, through Tātaki Auckland Unlimited and local sponsors.
The current record for a senior men’s football match in New Zealand is 37,034, set when the All Whites faced Peru in the first leg of their 2018 FIFA World Cup intercontinental play-off in Wellington on 11 November 2017.
The largest crowd for a men’s club football match in New Zealand is 33,297, recorded when Wellington Phoenix played Melbourne Victory in Wellington in May 2024.
The overall attendance record for a football match in New Zealand is 43,217, achieved on three occasions at Eden Park during the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.
Tottenham Hotspur’s match against Auckland FC forms part of the New Zealand International Festival of Football, which will also see Chelsea FC Women face an Auckland FC Women’s Invitational XI at Eden Park on Saturday 8 August.
Limited tickets remain available for Sunday’s match through Ticketek.
