Tickets sales are topping the 31,000 mark a month out from the event.
The two legged tie – which determines which of the two nations qualifies for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa – is delicately balanced after last week’s 0-0 draw in Bahrain that prompted a run of 17,000 tickets sold since Sunday.
The All Whites need to beat Bahrain at home to qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time since 1982.
As at 5pm Friday, New Zealand Football CEO Michael Glading indicated only “a handful” of tickets were available to the general public and that the expected take up of tickets reserved for Westpac Stadium members would boost the crowd to its 34,500 capacity and set a new national attendance record for a football match.
The current record is 31,853 held by the Wellington Phoenix for their match against David Beckham’s Los Angeles Galaxy while the previous All Whites record was set by the estimated crowd of 31,000 that turned up during the height of the 1981 qualifying campaign to witness a dramatic 1-2 loss to Kuwait.
“The support from the public has been phenomenal, and it shows that they know what’s on the line here,” Glading said.
“The FIFA World Cup is the biggest event on the planet and we’ve always felt that a large and passionate crowd could be the 12th man that helps a committed All Whites team complete the job they started so well in Manama.”
New Zealand Football were now exploring ways of increasing capacity.
Story courtesy NZF Media
Photo courtesy FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images