Football: All Whites to face Australia for rediscovered 'Soccer Ashes' trophy at London in October

  • 11/07/2023

The All Whites will face Australia for the recently discovered 'Soccer Ashes' at London later this year.

In April, the long-lost Anzac Soccer Trophy was found in Australia, 68 years after its disappearance.

After the first-ever match between New Zealand and Australia, cigar ashes smoked by opposing captains were put into a casket, made by Kiwi Harry Mayer in 1923.

Part of the trophy was carried by an Australian soldier at the 1915 landing of Gallipoli, and used as a powerful symbol to underpin the strong trans-Tasman bond and rivalry.

It was contested until 1954, but was considered lost, until the family of former Australian Soccer Football Association chairman Sydney Storey uncovered it.

To commemorate the rivalry between two countries, the All Whites and Socceroos will square off, with the winners taking the trophy home.

The fixture will add another chapter to the New Zealand-Australia rivalry, after the 100-year anniversary of the first competitive fixture was celebrated in 2022.

"We know how much football fans on both sides of the Tasman want to see this fixture," said NZ Football chief executive Andrew Pragnell. "With the rediscovery of the Soccer Ashes trophy, this match has more relevance than ever.

"This is a truly historic trophy, and it will be brilliant to see it played for this year - and in future years - for the first time since the 1950s.

"We have a significant leadership role to play in football development across the Asia Pacific region, and we are stronger together through our continued partnership and alignment."

The venue and date are still to be determined, but October's FIFA international window has been put forward as the ideal opportunity.