Football Ferns close to Women's World Cup
- editor59343
- 10 hours ago
- 2 min read
The Football Ferns have the potential to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 on home soil next year with the semis and final of the Oceania Qualifiers.
The qualifying tournament has been confirmed to be played in New Zealand with semis in Hamilton on Sunday 12 April, kicking off at 12pm and 4pm, at FMG Stadium Waikato.
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The final will be played in Auckland on Wednesday 15 April, kicking off at 7pm, at North Harbour Stadium.
Prior to the finals, the eight qualified teams for the Oceania Qualifiers will compete in a group stage, with four teams competing against each other, Group A based in Honiara, Solomon Islands, and Group B in Lautoka, Fiji.
New Zealand have been drawn in Group A alongside American Samoa, Samoa, and hosts Solomon Islands.
Group B consists of hosts Fiji, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu.
New Zealand will start against Samoa on 27 February, before facing Solomon Islands on 2 March, and finishing against American Samoa on 5 March.
All games will be played at the National Stadium in Honiara, Solomon Islands.
The top two sides from both groups will qualify for the finals in April 2026 in Aotearoa New Zealand.
New Zealand Football CEO Andrew Pragnell was pleased to be able to host games in New Zealand for the fans to see the football Fens in action.
“Hosting the finals of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 qualifiers, and giving fans the opportunity to support the Ford Football Ferns to return to the FIFA Women’s World Cup, is huge.
“It has been a big priority to both win the rights to host important qualifiers and major events, as well as bring our teams home as regularly as possible, and these games very much continue that trend.
“Since we emerged from Covid restrictions in 2022, we have been able to play our senior football and futsal teams at home across Auckland, Hamilton, Napier, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin, with over 30 games including hosting the 2024 Olympic qualifiers and men's FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
“Hosting these games provides a perfect chance for fans to get behind the Ferns as they look to qualify for, and then perform at, the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.
“We look forward to delivering a showcase event, as we did earlier this year when the All Whites qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026 for the first time in 16 years.
“2026 is going to be a huge year for football and we look forward to bringing millions of Kiwis on this journey with us.”