The show goes on for World Cup hosts New Zealand after Ferns fade

AUCKLAND : New Zealand may be out of the tournament but the co-hosts for the largest Women's World Cup are soldiering on through the disappointment, as home fans point to a lasting football legacy.

The Football Ferns kicked off the tournament to enormous optimism, as they upset former champions Norway in front of a record crowd at Eden Park to claim their first-ever Women's World Cup.

But after slaying Goliath they lost their footing, falling 1-0 to tournament debutantes the Philippines, before finishing third in Group A on goal difference as they tied 0-0 with Switzerland in their final fixture.

"Overall it's just good for football in New Zealand," said fan Josh Nelson after the match. "Just having more people excited about it and when it's not World Cup season maybe more people will still care."

The heartbreaking result meant New Zealand would be the first Women's World Cup hosts to exit in the group stage.

That appeared to do little to diminish the co-hosts' enthusiasm on Monday, however, as school children darted around the amenities at Auckland's fan festival.

"It's tough - it'd have been nice to see them go further," said Alan Donoghue, whose 8- and 10-year-old daughters enjoyed a trip to the waterfront fan pavilion with their classmates.

Donoghue said they attended the United States-Vietnam game previously and planned to be at Saturday's round of sixteen affair in Auckland, even with the Ferns out of the running.

"I'm a father of two daughters so they love seeing the girls playing and stuff like that as well," he said. "Everything's predominantly boys so it's quite nice for the girls to see the girls playing."

Santha Brown, Auckland host city lead, said more than 33,000 visitors had come through the fan festival through