New Zealand has World Cup fever. 2010 marks the year their beloved All Whites make their first performance on the world stage in 28 years. This highly anticipated tournament only comes around every four years, but it lasts an entire month. Kiwis are already donning their colors (or lack thereof) in anticipation of the June 11 FIFA World Cup kick off. And they're betting on their team going all the way to the final match - scheduled for July 11th.
Australia's own Socceroos are also appearing in the tournament. In fact, they'll make television history when they broadcast their last home match against the rival All Whites prior to the World Cup LIVE and in 3D, then depart for Johannesburg on the team's Qantas Boeing 747. As part of their final preparations for the World Cup, Australia will also play two "internationally friendly" matches against Denmark and the US.
While this incredible tournament will see hundreds of thousands of fans in attendance in cities and stadiums throughout South Africa, many of us will be up at all hours (or working our DVRs overtime) to see our favorite team. All World Cup matches are broadcast live, and no rebroadcasts are permitted. That means major cities worldwide, including Tokyo, Berlin, and Mexico City, are hosting matches on big screens and celebrating the Cup in epic fashion with parades, war paint, concerts and mobs of rowdy fans chanting their team's own iconic soccer anthem.
Although none of New Zealand's cities will play official host to a World Cup party, there's sure to be dancing in the streets. After a disastrous campaign four years ago, the All Whites bounced back under coach Ricki Herbert to qualify for the tournament of tournaments - and locums throughout New Zealand report that when it comes to celebrating the team's success, there's no better place to be for a party.
Along with world class soccer, audiences everywhere will be able to witness a peculiar ritual that takes place before every All Whites match when the players assemble at mid field for the haka (a tribal war dance used to intimidate enemies before battle). Only time will tell if the haka will be enough to earn the upstart All Whites a spot on the podium.
Whether the Socceroos make the finals or not, our mates in Australia will be hosting a World Cup bash for the record books. Darling Harbor in Sydney will be outfitted with two JumboTrons to screen every game for fans to watch for free from adjacent Cockle Bay Wharf and Tumbalong Park. Fireworks are a no-brainer, especially if the Aussies make an appearance in the final. And we'll no doubt hear Waltzing Matilda (the national athem about a noble sheep thief) belted out during Aussie games. Crowds sing lines about the roaming worker (swagman), who dove into a small lake (billabong) to escape capture: Up jumped the swagman and sprang into the billabong, ‘You'll never take me alive', said he.