New Zealand’s Futsal Whites won five games and scored 36 goals to win the 2023 OFC Futsal Nations Cup and qualify for the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup.
The OFC tournament was held at Takanini’s Bruce Pulman Arena from October 1-7, 2023, with eight nations competing for the World Cup qualification.
New Zealand had to beat four-time winners Solomon Islands in the semi-finals, and their victory earned them their first-ever qualification for a World Cup.
Main photo: The 2023 Futsal Whites. Photo credit: NZ Football.
Here’s how the Futsal Whites did it …
Group stage
Game played on Sunday October 1, 2023
New Zealand 6 (Dylan Manickum 2’, Rahan Ali 9’, Logan Wisnewski 12’, Casey Sharplin 19’, 25’, Oban Hawkins 20’)
Vanuatu 3 (Michel Coulon 28′, Kemly Lehi 30′, Kevin Donald 27′)
READ MORE: Futsal Whites off to flying start with 6-3 win at OFC Futsal Nations Cup >>>>
Game played on Monday October 2, 2023
New Zealand 7 (Ethan Martin 7’, own goal 11’, Jordan Ditfort 12’, 27’, Rahan Ali 22’, Logan Wisnewski 23′, Casey Sharplin 24′)
Fiji 2 (Ramzan Khan 13’, Tevita Waranaivalu 39’)
READ MORE: Record-breaker Dylan Manickum leads Futsal Whites to 7-2 win against Fiji >>>>
Game played on Wednesday October 4, 2023
Tonga 0
New Zealand 14 (Dylan Manickum 2’, Stephen Ashby-Peckham 9’, 31’, 10’, Jordan Ditfort 11’, Ethan Martin 15’, 37′, Art Twigg 16’ Oban Hawkins 16’, Rahan Ali 20’, 31’, Adam Paulsen 28’, 29′, own goal 33′)
READ MORE: New Zealand complete group stage with big win at OFC Futsal Nations Cup >>>>
Final group standings
Semi-final
Game played on Thursday October 5, 2023
Solomon Islands 2 (Charlie Otainao 26′, Elis Mana 40′)
New Zealand 4 (Logan Wisnewski 4′, Stephen Ashby-Peckham 18′, Casey Sharplin 28′, Mike Antamanov 40′)
READ MORE: Futsal Whites to play Tahiti in final of OFC Futsal Nations Cup >>>>
Final
Game played on Saturday October 7, 2023
New Zealand 5 (Stephen Ashby-Peckham 6′, Jordan Ditfort 28′, Thomas Picken 29′, Dylan Manickum 33′, Hamish Grey 39′)
Tahiti 0
READ MORE: Futsal Whites heading to FIFA Futsal World Cup for first time after beating Tahiti >>>>
New Zealand Futsal Whites squad
Rahan Ali | Moreland Futsal
Mike Antamanov | Auckland City FC
Stephen Ashby-Peckham | Auckland City FC
Jordan Ditfort | Bloomsbury Futsal
Hamish Grey | Unattached
Oban Hawkins | Southern United
Dylan Manickum | Auckland City FC
Ethan Martin | Waikato Rapids
Adam Paulsen | Auckland City FC
Thomas Picken | Auckland City FC
Casey Sharplin | Waikato Rapids
Patrick Steele | Waikato Rapids
Art Twigg | Auckland City FC
Logan Wisnewski | Bloomsbury Futsal
About the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup
The tournament will be staged in Uzbekistan from September 14 – October 6, 2024.
It will be the 10th Futsal World Cup and 24 teams will participate, including the host nation and New Zealand.
The rest of the qualifiers will come from tournaments to be held next year, with the following numbers of teams to earn places at the Uzbekistan tournament: Asia (3, as well as hosts Uzbekistan), Africa (3), Central, North America and Caribbean (4), South America (4) and Europe (7).
Portugal are the current holders of the World Cup.
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