The Football Ferns will play Portugal at Hamilton’s FMG Stadium Waikato on Friday February 17 next year.
This has been confirmed by NZ Football and follows the outcome of Friday’s draw by FIFA for the 10-nation play-off tournament to decide the last three teams to qualify for next year’s Women’s World Cup.
When the tournament was announced in July, FIFA said the top-seeded team in Group A would play a warm-up game against New Zealand in Hamilton.
Friday’s draw listed Portugal as the top-seeded team in Group A, with the side given a world ranking of 23 in the ratings revised by FIFA the day before.
New Zealand will play two more games during the week of the tournament, with one possibility being a match against Chile who have been seeded top of Group B at the intercontinental play-off series.
The draw made in Zurich and broadcast live on FIFA+ was conducted by FIFA Director of Competitions Manolo Zubiria, with Lira Alushi, who helped Germany conquer the world in 2007, and Nigeria legend Perpetua Nkwocha.
Main photo: Presenter Mollie Kmita and Manolo Zubiria leading the draw process.
The draw shows the path to the World Cup finals with the three group winners qualifying.
The draw
The schedule
The following tournament schedule was released by FIFA in July:
Who’s coming … and how to buy tickets
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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:
The teams coming to New Zealand
Confirmed for the February play-offs tournament are (updated FIFA world rankings in brackets):
- Portugal (23)
- Cameroon (58)
- Chinese Taipei (40)
- Chile (28)
- Haiti (56)
- Panama (57)
- Papua New Guinea (50)
- Paraguay (51)
- Senegal (84)
- Thailand (41)
New Zealand are ranked 22 in the world.
Tournament venues
Ferns fixtures
The Ferns will play three friendly internationals during the play-off tournament:
Game to be played on Friday February 17, 2023
International friendly
New Zealand v Portugal
FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton, 7pm
Game to be played on Monday February 20, 2023
International friendly
New Zealand v Argentina
FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton, 7pm
Game to be played on Thursday February 23, 2023
International friendly
New Zealand v Argentina
North Harbour Stadium, Albany, Auckland, 7pm
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