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Summary:
- Opening game of Women’s FIFA World Cup takes place today in Auckland
- A shooting near a World Cup Fan Zone in Auckland resulted in 3 deaths causing panic
- NZ PM confirms Women’s FIFA World Cup will proceed as per plan
Australia and New Zealand are playing hosts to the 2023 Women’s FIFA World Cup which runs from July 20 to August 20.
The opening game of the Women’s FIFA World Cup was set to take place in Auckland, New Zealand on July 20 when hosts New Zealand took on Norway which ended 1-0 to the hosts.
Gunman Confirmed As One Of The Deaths
An unfortunate incident in Auckland has shocked football fans around the world and caused panic in Auckland, New Zealand. Reports have emerged that a gunman stormed a building site in Queen’s Street earlier this morning (July 20) and opened fire. The building is located in the busy Central Business District (CBD) and was in the process of being renovated.
As of now, we know that three individuals have been killed and six people have been injured in the shooting. Two of those dead were civilians and the third person is the alleged gunman who was wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet. St John ambulance services have confirmed 3 out of the 6 people injured are in a serious condition.
The shooting occurred not too far away from a World Cup fan zone but thankfully the fan zone site wasn’t open at the time of the shooting. A construction worker at the site claimed the incident took place during 7.20 am to 8.20 am Auckland time.
The authorities have claimed that there they established no ideological or political motivation behind the shooting.
NZ PM Says FIFA World Cup Game Will Go On As Planned
The incident has brought Auckland, New Zealand into the limelight given that the World Cup is set to kick-off tonight in Eden Park. Chris Hipkin, New Zealand Prime Minster released a statement to address New Zealanders and football fans who have come to Auckland.
In a statement, PM Hipkin said
Clearly with the FIFA World Cup kicking off this evening, there are a lot of eyes on Auckland. The government has spoken to FIFA organizers this morning and the tournament will proceed as planned. I want to reiterate that there is no wider national security threat. This appears to be the action of one individual.
