Christchurch football tragics join 3000 Kiwi supporters at FIFA World Cup

Monday, 8 June 2026

The Flying Kiwis supporter group estimates about 3000 New Zealanders will support the All Whites pitch-side for New Zealand’s third World Cup.

Craig Rhodes is a self-described “football tragic”. So on Thursday, the Christchurch man leaves for his third FIFA World Cup — three weeks, four mates, a rental car and a coastal road trip from Las Vegas to Los Angeles to Vancouver.

“I’d be surprised if we spent more than $13,000 to $14,000,” he said. “So it’s not too bad.”

Darren Johnson, chairman of Christchurch football club Coastal Spirit, leaves Monday with his 23-year-old son — a trip two years in the making.

Craig Rhodes, right, and Julian Firth are two “football tragics” heading to the FIFA World Cup together on Thursday.

“I was able to send my wife and daughter off to Europe last year, so I could go to the World Cup this year,” he said. “It’s starting to become real that we’re actually going to do it. I just don’t know what to expect.”

He anticipates it’ll cost them $30,000, “a little pricier than we would have hoped”.

They are among an estimated 3000 New Zealanders expected to be at the All Whites’ three Group G matches: against Iran in Los Angeles on June 16; Egypt in Vancouver on June 22; and Belgium in Vancouver on June 27.

Darren Johnson, chairman of Christchurch football club Coastal Spirit, is “very excited” to go to the United States on Monday for his first FIFA World Cup.

Many are travelling with the help of Wellington-born Matt Fejos and The Flying Kiwis, which has been organising fan travel and support since a World Cup qualifier against Bahrain in 2009 — when Fejos started with a credit card, 32 mates and as many tickets he could get his hands on.

Seventeen years later he is managing more than 1000 tickets, negotiating group accommodation deals and sending inflatable kiwis to fans across the country.

“It was always just something extra on top of work and normal life,” said Fejos. “I just wanted to get as many of my mates together to produce the best, most passionate support I’d only ever seen on TV watching European games at 3am.”

Wellington-born Matt Fejos started The Flying Kiwis in 2009 with a credit card and 32 mates.

The group works with New Zealand Football, which provides a ticket allocation at cost price — bypassing the chaos of FIFA’s public ballot and dynamic pricing.

Fejos negotiated an accommodation package for Vancouver and Whistler — eight nights including transport and merchandise — for NZ$1830. For fans doing all three legs, that is roughly 14 days of travel taking in Los Angeles, Portland, Whistler and Vancouver.

Neither Rhodes nor Johnson organised their trip through the Flying Kiwis — but both plan to join their pre-match marches and events.

The 2017 All Whites qualifier in Wellington against Peru.

“We’ve been following the WhatsApp group closely,” Johnson said.

The group have been developing their own songs for New Zealand players — Crowded House features heavily, with a riff on Slice of Heaven adapted for Lower Hutt-raised Marko Stamenić.

The viral rise of All Whites defender Tim Payne has added excitement, with “Tim Payne in the membrane” circulating on the group’s WhatsApp.

Rhodes, who has been following the All Whites since South Africa 2010, said the atmosphere at a World Cup was unlike anything else. Fan zones, he said, were as good as the games themselves.

“You can hear the South Americans coming in with all their drums before they arrive. They are fantastic places to be.”

For those staying home, the Flying Kiwis have teamed up with South Island United’s supporter group the Southern Front for watch-alongs at Rambler bar in central Christchurch — one for each All Whites match.

“New Zealand don’t make a World Cup every week,” Southern Front organiser Bradley McConville said. “We want to get people feeling like they can come along, get behind the team and enjoy it. Family friendly — just people getting together and supporting New Zealand.”