FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand Host Cities Announced

The host cities of the FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015 were announced today at the Maritime Museum in Auckland with John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, Dave Beeche, CEO of the LOC for the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2015, and Frank van Hattum, President of New Zealand Football Inc, all in attendance.

The cities and stadiums named are: Auckland (North Harbour Stadium), Christchurch (Christchurch Stadium), Dunedin (Otago Stadium), Hamilton (Waikato Stadium), New Plymouth (Stadium Taranaki), Wellington (Wellington Regional Stadium) and Whangarei (Northland Event Centre).

The event will begin on 30 May 2015 and end on 21 June 2015. It will be the third time the tournament has been held in Oceania, following Australia’s hosting in 1981 and 1993. 

FIFA President Sepp Blatter said: “New Zealand hosted the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1999 and the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2008 and enjoys a proud history of successfully hosting FIFA events. Bringing the FIFA U-20 World Cup to this sports-loving country will for sure enhance the image and popularity of the beautiful game in New Zealand. The Host Cities play an essential role in delivering a FIFA competition and I am pleased to see that football fans in cities across the whole country will have the chance to become a part of it.”

Dave Beeche added: “To have seven stunning venues locked in nearly two years out from the first match gives us a great planning timeframe and we’ll use all of it to ensure that a standout event is delivered. This tournament has a huge global following and that’s the opportunity we have with this event – to deliver exposure for New Zealand and host regions both directly during the tournament and via a massive international television audience. With the world’s best footballing talent on display and stadiums full of colour, noise and atmosphere, it will be a new experience for New Zealand that everyone will want to be a part of.”