Ten teams will play in February’s inter-confederation play-off tournament in New Zealand to decide the final three qualifiers for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The teams will play in Auckland and Hamilton from February 17-23.
During the same week, the Football Ferns will play three friendly internationals, in Auckland and Hamilton.
The nine teams already coming to New Zealand
Confirmed for the play-offs tournament are (current FIFA world rankings in brackets):
- Cameroon (59)
- Chinese Taipei (38)
- Chile (39)
- Haiti (56)
- Panama (57)
- Papua New Guinea (49)
- Paraguay (51)
- Senegal (84)
- Thailand (41)
The tenth team will come from Europe
Nine European countries remain in contention for World Cup spots, and they will play qualifying games on October 6 and 13.
The top two will qualify for the finals to be co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia.
The third-ranked team will fill the final place at February’s inter-confederation play-off series.
The UEFA contenders are (current FIFA world rankings in brackets):
- Austria (20)
- Belgium (19)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina (63)
- Iceland (14)
- Portugal (27)
- Republic of Ireland (26)
- Scotland (23)
- Switzerland (21)
- Wales (30)
How the February play-off series works
The teams will play in three groups, two of three teams and one of four.
FIFA will seed the teams for the draw.
Each group will be played as a standalone knockout competition, with each winner qualifying for the finals.
In the two three-team groups, the seeded team will go straight to the final (after playing a friendly against New Zealand or a guest nation) and meet the winner of a semi-final between the other two teams in their group.
Volunteers needed
Applications are open for volunteers who want to help make next February’s FIFA Women’s World Cup play-off tournament a success in Auckland and Hamilton.
The volunteers will help at the stadia, training sites, hotels, Auckland Airport and transport hubs.
For more information and to apply online, go to:
Tournament venues
Ferns fixtures
The Ferns will play three friendly internationals during the play-off tournament:
New Zealand v TBC (the first seeded team in Group A of the play-off tournament)
Friday February 17, 2023
FMG Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
New Zealand v Guest team (TBC)
Monday February 20, 2023
FMG Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
New Zealand v Guest team (TBC)
Thursday February 23, 2023
North Harbour Stadium, Albany, Auckland
The 27 nations already confirmed for the World Cup finals
READ MORE: Here’s who have already booked their places at next July’s FIFA Women’s World Cup >>>>
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