The Wellington Phoenix men will be returning home before the end of the A League season, following the relaxtion of Covid-19 crowd rules.
The removal of restrictions on outdoor gatherings from this weekend by the government has cleared the way for the club to finalise matches in New Zealand.
The Phoenix are planning to host games in Wellington and Auckland next month.
Phoenix fans haven't been able to watch their side play in Wellington since May last year. Photo: Photosport
Initial preparations are already underway and details will be able to confirmed once Australian Professional Leagues (APL) finalises the draw for the remainder of the A-League season.
"This is the best possible news as one of the main impediments (crowd numbers) to bringing the team home has been removed," said club general manager David Dome.
"We'd always hoped to play matches in New Zealand this season and now we can work with APL to confirm venues, dates and kick-off times.
"As was the case last year it's very important that our first game back is in Wellington, but it's also important to us that we play in front of our fans and partners in New Zealand's biggest city."
Phoenix general manager David Dome. Photo: Photosport
The Phoenix haven't played in Aotearoa since May 30 last year, when more than 22 thousand fans turned out to see the team play Perth Glory at Eden Park.
It came a week after the team's homecoming match against Western United at Sky Stadium, where over 24, thousand fans enjoyed a 3-0 win.
The men's side has been based in Sydney since the start of November and have been forced to play all of their matches in Australia, until now.
An announcement on home matches is expected before the end of the week.
-RNZ
