Mere hours after he touched down in New Zealand, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has issued a plea to sports fans across the country.
"We need you."
Much of the narrative leading into the Women's Football World Cup - which begins at Auckland on Thursday - has been dominated by the tepid interest generated across the country.
While ticket sales for the event have it on track to become the most attended in tournament history, most have been sold across the ditch by co-hosts Australia.
Addressing a packed room of media from across the globe, Infantino has seized the opportunity to implore Kiwi fans - renowned for their last-minute approach with such events - to jump on the bandwagon and help ensure its stadiums are full, come kickoff.
"New Zealand, we want you," said Infantino directly down the barrel of Newshub's camera.
"We need you. It's never too late to do the right thing, come to watch the matches.
"We need full stadiums to warm us all up."
With an estimated global audience of more than two billion, the World Cup will comfortably be the biggest spectacle - sports or otherwise - to take place on NZ shores.
Beyond that, FIFA officials predict it will finish as the most popular women's sporting event in history, with more than 1.5 million people expected to flock to stadiums. More than 75 percent of those fans will be in Australia, who have tripled NZ sales.
Sponsor Xero has given out 20,000 free tickets in an effort to generate public interest.
Sitting alongside Infantino, FIFA secretary-general Fatma Samoura also implored the home crowd to its their level of urgency.
"We know that Kiwis are late ticket purchasers when it comes to tournaments that are played on their shores," said Samoura.
"Our only plea is don't leave it until the last moment. This is a moment to be seized by every football fan in New Zealand.
"We hope this will be the most-attended women's sports event. It's already reaching record figures."
The Football Ferns winning games would be one surefire antidote for NZ malaise, although they are in a difficult pool, with former champions Norway, the Philippines and Switzerland.
The NZ women have had a lacklustre build-up to the World Cup, with just one win in nine warm-up matches this year.
They'll raise the curtain on the competition with Thursday's clash against Norway at Eden Park, which they'll enter as firm underdogs.
Infantino insists he's been following the team's fortunes with a keen eye, but is confident that the quality of football on offer will be enough to ensure the public rises to the occasion, which he adds will be crucial given the country's relatively miniscule population.
"I've seen them, of course, play at the last World Cup in France and, obviously, we have been following the two host countries - the Matildas and Ferns - very, very closely in the last couple of years.
"It is always important for the home team to give this special feeling to the fans and light this fire of football," said Infantino.
"The home team here is certainly strong and the group is not easy. We will be looking forward as of tomorrow what is going to happen, but what I can say to all of the fans here in New Zealand is that the spectacle they will see - hopefully for them by their own national team, but generally - will be really unique.
"Many people still believe that women's football is not a great game or not so entertaining, or it's kind of a bad copy of men's football, but when they watch a game for the first time, they'll actually see it's a fantastic game.
"It's very entertaining, great athletes. The level has grown incredibly in the last 10 years and the best are coming here to New Zealand
"Entertainment is assured and guaranteed, and I'm sure the home team will manage, as well, to create enthusiasm, which will be needed with the population."
Join Newshub at 7pm Thursday for live updates of the Women's Football World Cup opener between New Zealand and Norway
