Sports Minister Grant Robertson is urging Kiwi fans to take advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to snap up tickets for one of the biggest sporting events on the planet on home soil.
The FIFA Women's World Cup kicks off in eight days, and while games involving the Football Ferns and defending champions USA will be played in front of big crowds, concerns remain over other fixtures.
Robertson has been keeping a close eye on World Cup preparations and he is acutely aware of the ticket-sales situation.
Local organisers have told Newshub that more than 300,000 tickets have been sold for games in New Zealand and that sounds like a lot, but there are 29 games scheduled here, with only six involving the host nation or popular Americans.
Robertson has used his platform to encourage Kiwis to support the event.
"We've got some games close to being soldout, but we've got other games where we'd like to see more New Zealanders there," he said.
"New Zealanders traditionally love deciding really late to go to these things, but FIFA don't usually do walk-up sales on the day, so people do need to buy their tickets in advance.
"I really encourage them to do it - this is going to be a fantastic tournament."
The Football Ferns kick off the event against Norway at Auckland's Eden Park on July 20.
