Football Ferns coach Michael Mayne has beefed up his squad for the final qualifiers for the 2027 Fifa Women’s World Cup.
Regular players Ally Green, Jacqui Hand, Gabi Rennie and Kate Taylor are added to the squad that won all three games in the preliminary qualifying tournament in the Solomon Islands earlier this month without conceding a goal.
“These are really important games for us to achieve the first of our goals in our campaign plan, qualifying for the Fifa Women’s World Cup 2027 in Brazil,’’ Mayne said.
“Because of these games coming so quickly after the group stage, we have made the decision to retain the vast majority of that squad so we have real consistency and can hit the ground running once the players are back home.
“The tournament in the Solomon Islands was a great start to the year, and while the scores reflected the difference in quality we have over those OFC nations, what was pleasing was the way in which we stayed connected to what we wanted to get from the fixtures in the way we played and approached those matches very professionally as a group.’’
The Football Ferns will play Fiji in one Oceania qualifying semifinal at Waikato Stadium on Sunday, April 12.
Assuming they progress, the New Zealand women will play the winner of the other semifinal, between Papua New Guinea and American Samoa, in the Oceania final at North Harbour Stadium on Wednesday, April 15, in a straight shootout to see who makes the World Cup.
“I am extremely pleased with how this team is working on and off the pitch right now and how they are looking for ways to drive each other in every opportunity we get together,’’ Mayne said.
“Now we get to continue that work on home soil and we want to put on an entertaining match against Fiji.’’
The Football Ferns have not played at home since they hosted Thailand in Christchurch in 2012.
‘‘The prospect of qualifying for the World Cup in front of our home fans and families is very special and not something we get to do very often,’’ Mayne said.
“The players are obviously extremely motivated to come back, connect with our people and put on some good performances that book our ticket to Brazil in front of our home supporters.”
Football Ferns
The squad
Liz Anton, Hannah Blake, Kelli Brown, Claudia Bunge, Milly Clegg, Victoria Esson, Michaela Foster, Ally Green, Maya Hahn, Jacqui Hand, Deven Jackson, Grace Jale, Katie Kitching, Charlotte Lancaster, Meikayla Moore, Emma Pijnenburg, Gabi Rennie, Indiah-Paige Riley, Alina Santos, Rebekah Stott, Kate Taylor, Pia Vlok, Grace Wisnewski
