Eden Park is a rugby stadium based in Auckland, New Zealand is home to Auckland cricket team, rugby union side Auckland and Super Rugby side Blues. The stadium has a capacity of 50,000 which can be expanded to 60,000 with temporary seating and opened in 1900. It’s also undergone numerous redevelopments over the years totalling over £250 million.
Table of Contents
Stadium Guide by Rugby Tripper
History
The All Blacks (New Zealand’s National Rugby team) play many of their home games at Eden Park as have 2 Rugby World Cup finals in 2011 where New Zealand beat France on both occasions. Following the death of legendary winger Jonah Lomu at 40 years old due to a heart attack, the stadium held a memorial in his honour. Many games in the 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup will be held at the stadium along with the final of the tournament.
Cricket Test matches, Twenty20 Internationals and ODI’s have all taken place at the stadium along with Cricket World Cup matches. Four matches in the 1992 World Cup were played as were four matches in the 2015 World Cup which included sides like Australia, South Africa, West Indies, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and India.
Rugby League matches have been played at Eden Park including the 1988 World Cup, 2010 Rugby League Four Nations, NRL matches, a 2012 ANZAC Test and the NRL Auckland Nines.
New Zealand’s National football team have played 2 friendlies at the ground which were against South Africa and European club FK Austria Wien in 1947 and 1957, however, lost both matches. In 1988, New Zealand played against Israel in an Olympic qualifying match for the Seoul Olympics but failed to qualify.
The first professional club match that took place at Eden Park was an A-League match between New Zealand and Australian sides Wellington Phoenix and Adelaide United which finished 1-1. Many games of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup will take place at the stadium.