"People think of us as a rugby country, and probably as hobbits," says Matt Fejos, founder of the Flying Kiwis. "That allows us to go in with that underdog mentality, fearless."
That's the honest self-assessment of a fan group that has spent 15 years traveling the world to watch a national team that, ranked 85th globally, has no business being at a World Cup by traditional measures. And yet here they are — New Zealand in Group G, the Flying Kiwis in the stands.
A Credit Card and 32 Tickets
It started in 2009. Fejos, then a university student with a $1,000 credit card limit, bought 32 tickets for friends ahead of New Zealand's World Cup qualifier against Bahrain. Banners, coveralls, flags — the works. New Zealand won, qualified for South Africa 2010, and a fan group was born out of sheer willpower and mild financial recklessness.
Since then the group has grown into a loose global network. Thirty of them made it to Russia for the 2017 Confederations Cup. The friendships, the travel, the shared identity — it snowballed. "To connect with the world through the global language of football is a beautiful thing," Fejos says. Not poetry for its own sake. He means it.
What makes the Flying Kiwis interesting isn't just loyalty — it's that they had to invent their own football culture from scratch. Rugby dominates New Zealand. There's no deep soccer tradition to draw from, no inherited chants or rituals passed down through generations. Everything they do, they made up themselves. That's actually rare.
Group G Is Not Kind
New Zealand's World Cup draw reads like a punishment. Group G features Belgium (ranked 9th), Egypt (29th), and Iran (21st). The All Whites sit 85th. On paper, this is a group-stage exit waiting to happen — and any serious betting market will price them accordingly.
Fejos pushes back, at least partially. He points to how many New Zealand players now compete in top European leagues, arguing they're battle-hardened in ways previous generations weren't. "There's so much more belief because of where the players are playing," he said. "They're used to playing under that pressure."
- New Zealand ranking: 85th
- Belgium ranking: 9th
- Egypt ranking: 29th
- Iran ranking: 21st
Maybe. But belief and squad depth are different things, and Group G exposes that gap quickly. The Flying Kiwis will be loud. They'll probably be outnumbered three or four to one in every stand they sit in. And New Zealand will need every decibel they can produce.
"The Kiwi is a flightless bird," Fejos said. "Despite that, I think it's incredible for some of those players to play in some of the best leagues of the world and to take it to the world at a World Cup."
