Host city Auckland prepares for World Cup spotlight

Excitement was building across Auckland as the city prepared to kick off the Women's World Cup on Wednesday, the culmination of years of effort to bring the largest ever standalone women's sporting event to its shores.

Smaller than nearly all of Australia's host cities, Auckland is nevertheless ready to make a mark with Thursday's opening ceremony before the first match which pitches New Zealand's Football Ferns against Norway at Eden Park. "It's a huge source of pride," Santha Brown, the host city lead, said this week as she oversaw the final touches being put on the Fan Festival on Queen's Wharf.

"Across the board (there's) a lot of excitement building." The 2,000-capacity Fan Festival, where visitors will be able to watch 48 of the matches on a 34-metre LED screen, opens on Thursday and will serve as a hub for fans.

Featuring a FIFA museum, games, food and more than 85 different live performances, the venue will also play host to a VIP: the World Cup trophy, which will be on site for fans to view on July 22 and 23. Brown said the tournament has the potential to be a "huge catalyst" to boost the popularity of the sport in New Zealand, where rugby has long been the sport of choice.

"We've already seen that sort of interest and awareness growing," she said. Auckland will host nine matches at Eden Park across the tournament, including one semi-final.

SIGNS OF INTEREST The kickoff also offers a tantalizing opportunity for the home team to change their reputation.

While Australia's Matildas are genuine title contenders, the Football Ferns have never won a match at a Women's World Cup. FIFA said last week it was giving away 20,000 tickets for World Cup games in New Zealand amid concerns about the slow pace of sales there in comparison to Australia, where the majority of the some 1 million tickets have been sold so far.

Veteran Football Fern Olivia Chance believes the quadrennial tournament on her home turf could move things in a positive direction. "America is a lot more soccer mad ... they get involved in the women's side so unbelievably well. And I would love like just 20% of what (is) there to come here," she told Reuters.

"I know we're smaller but like we can really make this tournament special, the more people we can get in the stadiums." With digital billboards popping up around Auckland featuring the women's home team, Chance said she is already seeing signs of change.

"People have stopped us and asked for autographs and photos in the last week more than I've ever been asked," said Chance. "(It) shows that we are maybe out there more than we thought." The ninth Women's World Cup runs until Aug. 20 when the final takes place in Sydney.