The Football Ferns and Norway are safe after a shooting in Auckland left three people dead, on the morning of the World Cup opener at Eden Park.
Newshub understands a 24-year-old man stormed a CBD building in lower Queen Street, and opened fire, killing two people and injuring others, before he was shot dead by police.
The tragic event comes on the morning of the first match of the World Cup on Thursday evening, to be played between New Zealand and Norway.
"New Zealand Football are shocked by the incident in Auckland CBD this morning," NZ Football said in a statement.
"We can confirm that all of the Football Ferns team and staff are safe but we will not be able to comment further while details are still emerging."
The Football Ferns' opponent, Norway, have also confirmed that they are safe, with players awoken by police helicopters.
Norway captain Maren Mjelde revealed they didn't know what was happening until they turned on the television.
"Everyone probably woke up quite quickly when the helicopter hovered outside the hotel window and a large number of emergency vehicles arrived," She said in a statement.
"At first we didn't know what was going on, but eventually there were updates on TV and the local media. We felt safe the whole time.
"FIFA has a good security system at the hotel, and we have our own security officer in the squad.
"Everyone seems calm and we are preparing as normal for the game tonight. Then we may have to adapt if there are any instructions from the authorities."
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has confirmed the match and all other FIFA events will go ahead as planned, and there is no ongoing National security risk.
Join Newshub at 7pm Thursday for live updates of the Women's Football World Cup opener between New Zealand and Norway
