To mark one month until the FIFA U-20 World Cup begins, New Zealand staged the highest football event ever held atop Auckland’s iconic Sky Tower, the country’s tallest man-made structure.
Rising more than 1,000 feet above the city, the Sky Tower offers some of Auckland’s most dramatic tourist attractions. One highlight is the SkyWalk, where visitors walk around a 3.9-foot-wide platform and enjoy sweeping panoramic views of the city, Hauraki Gulf and surrounding harbors.
On May 1, two New Zealand U-20 internationals, Deklan Wynne and Clayton Lewis, took their training to extreme heights by playing a game of keepy-uppy on the SkyWalk platform. The stunt was the first in a series of football-focused events leading up to the tournament, which will be held in host cities across New Zealand from May 30 to June 20.
Earlier today, Auckland’s North Harbour Stadium hosted a pre-tournament fixture with New Zealand facing their trans-Tasman rivals, Australia. In addition, Prince Harry is scheduled to visit and take part in an exhibition match with local youth at Auckland’s waterfront venue, The Cloud.
Matches will take place across several North Island venues, including Whangārei, Auckland, Hamilton, New Plymouth and Wellington, while Christchurch and Dunedin will host fixtures in the South Island. The U-20 World Cup will welcome 24 international teams, featuring football powerhouses such as Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Uruguay and Mexico.
The build-up activities and high-profile matches aim to showcase New Zealand’s passion for football and offer visiting teams and fans memorable experiences as the country prepares to host teams and supporters from around the world.