Sky Sports reporter Kristina Eddy writes about why it’s not too late to get involved with the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

As I’m sure you’ve heard… the FIFA Women’s World Cup is in town! In fact, by the end of the opening weekend, Eden Park had sold over 18 thousand punnets of hot chips and seven thousand hot dogs and fans had consumed 452kgs of ice cream, in winter! People are going crazy for the football, and of course, the food, as the hype around the tournament exceeds our greatest expectations.

It helps that our very own Football Ferns walked out in front of42,000 passionate fans on the opening night and performed against some of the best female footballers in the world, beating Norway 1-0 and becoming the first New Zealand team ever to win at a World Cup.

By the following morning, fans swamped the FIFA app to snap up tickets to the remaining Football Ferns games, and now stadiums across New Zealand are packed full with some of the biggest crowds our women have ever played in front of.

Hopefully, one of those fans is you! Or maybe you’re one of the two billion people expected to tune in to global coverage during the tournament. If so, you’re also joining history, as this World Cup breaks record numbers, proving interest in the women’s game is at an all-time high and accelerating.

But when you’re sitting in the stands mind blown while an entire stadium roars to the sound of a goal, it’s easy to forget this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in our country. 

In fact, it’s unlikely FIFA, which is one of the most powerful organisations in the world, will ever land on our shores again – we’re simply not big enough, and rich enough, as a nation to host another World Cup. 

But your support, and FIFA’s investment in the game of football in this country, will leave an impact for many years to come. Girls and women can now play more often, and at night, after hundreds of thousands of dollars were invested to improve football fields across the country with brand-new pitches, flash floodlights and female changing rooms and toilets. 

For now, this is an occasion worth savouring, and one that isn’t lost on our Football Ferns either. 

Before this tournament started, they had a goal to be the definition of ‘See Your Possible’, making their message clear at the start of the tournament - “we want to inspire young girls and boys to play football and we want to continue to show why the women’s game is a product worth investing in”. 

So far, they have done just that, making history on home soil, while the world watches on as the women’s game skyrockets to new heights in Aotearoa and Australia. 

There is no doubt this is an exciting time in sport, as more doors open for women and girls. But for now, while we still have it, let's enjoy this world-class spectacle with our hot dogs and chips.

You can watch all FIFA Women’s World Cup matches live on Sky Sport or stream on Sky Sport Now.