TVNZ x FIFA World Cup 2026™

The Ultimate Viewing Experience

TVNZ partnered with Uno Loco to create a premium FIFA World Cup 2026™ viewing experience for the All Whites' opening match against Iran. Hosted at Eden Park, the event brought together more than 400 guests from agencies, brand partners, FIFA stakeholders and industry leaders to celebrate football and reinforce TVNZ's position as New Zealand's home of world-class sport.

VISUAL IDENTITY | MOTION DESIGN | PRINT | EVENT MANAGEMENT | ENTERTAINMENT | TALENT | AUDIO VISUAL | REGISTRATION | TECHNICAL DIRECTION | H&S MANAGEMENT | PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT | CREATIVE EVENT DESIGN | BRAND EXPERIENCE DESIGN | STRATEGIC EVENT DESIGN | COPYWRITING

With a midday start and 1pm kick-off, the event needed to justify guests stepping away from a busy workday. The challenge was to create an event compelling enough that attending in person felt significantly more valuable than watching the match from the office or at home.

Indoor parking garage within Eden Park with purple, green, and red lighting reflections on the walls and floor, featuring illuminated signs with messages about a sports event.
A man wearing a baseball cap, black jacket, and white t-shirt is holding a red can and smiling while looking at a locker with a black Puma All Whites jersey inside. There are scoreboard signs above the locker with names and numbers.
A young woman wearing a TVNZ-branded t-shirt carries a tray of pint-sized ice cream containers while shopping at a store or event. She is standing in front of a counter with a few people examining the ice cream brands. The background shows a display on the wall and a television screen.
A man and a woman are celebrating on a soccer field in front of a large blue sign that reads "Let's go all whites!" The man is wearing sunglasses, a blue jacket, and jeans, and is mid-air, kicking a soccer ball towards the goal. The woman, wearing a denim jacket over a black dress, has her arms raised with an excited expression.

Opportunity

The opportunity was to transform a live football broadcast into an exclusive experience that built anticipation before kick-off, maintained energy throughout the afternoon and gave guests access to moments they couldn't experience anywhere else. It also needed to celebrate the FIFA World Cup while reinforcing TVNZ's position as New Zealand's biggest football fan.

Our response

We brought to life the creative platform "We Can't Wait. New Zealand's Biggest Fan." The concept positioned TVNZ as the nation's biggest supporter, transforming a football broadcast into an event guests wanted to be part of.

The experience was designed to create genuine FOMO. Every stage of the guest journey was carefully considered to build anticipation before arrival, maintain energy throughout the afternoon and give guests access to experiences they couldn't enjoy from home.

Rather than treating the match as the entire event, we built a programme around it. Entertainment, hospitality and audience engagement were carefully timed around the broadcast, with fun stadium food and beverage offerings and hosted moments, surprise experiences and giveaways maintaining momentum before kick-off, during breaks in play and after the final whistle.

Every touchpoint worked together to create a cohesive brand experience that reinforced TVNZ's position as New Zealand's biggest football fan while celebrating one of the world's biggest sporting events.

What made it special

The success of the event came from the thoughtful layering of details.

Eden Park provided the perfect backdrop. As New Zealand's most iconic sporting venue, it brought an authenticity and sense of occasion that couldn't be replicated elsewhere. Guests enjoyed experiences normally reserved for players, including walking through the player tunnel, exploring the changing rooms, stepping onto the edge of the pitch and arriving in the World Cup Lounge to watch the match.

Every touchpoint reinforced the event theme. Guests were welcomed with All Whites-style lockers with player name jerseys, while bespoke TVNZ and FIFA branding extended across bars, food stations, photo opportunities and environmental graphics. Live artist Otis Frizzell illustrated FIFA footballs and Adidas shoes throughout the event, with each piece awarded as spot prizes to guests.

The experience began well before guests arrived. Digital communications, including the "Guess the Score" competition and prize giveaways, built anticipation in the lead-up to the event and created momentum before kick-off.

Together, these carefully considered details elevated the experience beyond a traditional viewing party, creating a premium event that celebrated football, rewarded fandom and positioned TVNZ as New Zealand's biggest football fan.

Otis Frizell drawing on white sneakers at a table. The table has markers, a graffiti banner, a box of shoes, a soccer ball with stickers, and Adidas shoes on a blue box. The background has large glass windows.
Smiling man holding a blue Adidas shoe box at an event, with a colorful sign in the background that says 'Let's go all whites!'
A row of six black jerseys hanging on hooks inside individual wooden cubicles, each with a black sign above labeled with the names Callum McCowatt, Jesse Randall, Michael Woud, Ryan Thomas, Callan Elliot, Lachlan Bayliss, and Tommy Smith, along with their respective jersey numbers 20 through 26. To the right, a large screen displays a message welcoming viewers to 'The All Whites vs. Iran' soccer match under the TNTZ network logo, with a background of colorful gradient.
Two women standing in front of a sports locker with black jerseys hanging, one woman holding a sign that says 'C'MON REF!!!' and both smiling at the camera.
Two smiling women holding colorful round signs that read 'C'MON REF'! ''LET'S GO!' at a sports stadium, with a crowd in the background and a soccer ball on the table in front of them.
A diverse group of nine people standing under an overpass, smiling and posing for a photo, with some holding cups and one person raising a red card.
Group of five people smiling at an outdoor event at a stadium, wearing white t-shirts with the TVNZ logo, standing in front of a large screen and colorful background.