At the start of the World Cup, the two hosts, New Zealand and Australia, celebrated their cultural heritage, the strength of women and the unity of football in a colorful ceremony.
The first Women’s World Cup to be staged in two countries got a small but atmospheric celebration ahead of the opening match between co-hosts New Zealand and Norway in Auckland – three hours before more than 80,000 fans in Sydney turned out to push Australia against Ireland for their home World Cup.
The central themes of the celebration in front of almost 50,000 spectators in Eden Park were the cultural heritage of the hosts, women’s self-determination and the unifying power of football. At the beginning, the hosts, including more than 45 representatives of the New Zealand Maori and the indigenous peoples of Australia, approached the field in colorful costumes.
Symbolically included: the stingray as a parable for New Zealand’s North Island, which, according to Maori mythology, was fished out of the ocean by the demigod Maui. And the Rainbow Serpent, which according to First Nations tradition formed Australia’s mountains, valleys and waterholes and stretched a rainbow over them. The snake motif is ubiquitous in Australian art.
wheelchair basketball player bring the cue ball
The Haka, the ritual dance of the Maori, was also a must. The symbolic union of the two nations ended with the Hongi, a traditional greeting in which the Maori touch their noses.
Then Haper Heta, a wheelchair basketball and volleyball player from New Zealand, brought the official ball into the stadium. During the film presentation of the 32 World Cup teams, the actors performed a “dance of unity” in the stadium – in costumes designed in the colors of the respective national flags.
Official World Cup song: “Do it again”
At the end of the ten-minute ceremony, the song of the world championship was presented. “Do it again” is the title of the play by BENEE ft. Mallrat. Behind it are two young artists from the host countries: Stella Bennett from New Zealand and Grace Shaw from Australia. The last bars had not yet faded away when, to the cheers of the spectators, fireworks rose from the stadium roof into the evening sky of Auckland.
Minute of silence for victims of the shooting
Finally the World Cup trophy was brought into the stadium. Helpers removed the colorful cloths that had covered the lawn during the ceremony, clearing the stage for the leading actresses’ first appearance at this World Cup. A minute’s silence was held in Eden Park after the Auckland shooting that left dead and wounded.