New Zealand Football is looking forward to hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup trophy tour next week in Auckland.

The official FIFA Women’s World Cup™ Trophy Tour is celebrating the premier women’s football competition by travelling across the globe and giving fans the chance to see the most coveted prize in women’s football in person ahead of the tournament which runs from 7 June to 7 July.

The trophy, which will be taken to all of the 24 nations competing in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, is in Auckland on 4 April and will be accompanied by FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer and New Zealander Sarai Bareman.

New Zealand Football Chief Executive Andrew Pragnell, NZ Football Vice President Johanna Wood and Football Ferns striker Hannah Wilkinson will also be in attendance for the trophy tour.

The tour will include a game of football at Eden Park for five and six-year-old boys and girls, media opportunities and also a dinner with Bareman and the distinguished guests.

It's appropriate to have the FIFA Women's World Cup trophy in Auckland at this moment in time as New Zealand has completed an expression of interest to host the event in 2023.

New Zealand is one of nine countries alongside Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Japan, Korea Republic (who have expressed interest in a joint bid with DPR Korea) and South Africa who have registered their interest in hosting.

“The FIFA World Cup this year in France is expected to be the largest tournament in its history with more than a billion views so it is a huge tournament and one we would love to host,” Pragnell says.

The tour began in Paris on 24 February, starting a two-month journey across 24 different stops and six continents.

The trophy will return to France in a final celebratory stop before the Women’s World Cup kicks off with the opening match between hosts France and Korea Republic on 7 June.

The Football Ferns, who leave for their two games against Norway in Spain on the weekend, have been drawn in Group E against the Netherlands, Canada and Cameroon in the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Article added: Thursday 28 March 2019