All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley says the W Cup tournament will be used to build for New Zealand’s upcoming campaigns at the Paris Olympics and the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
“For us as a team, everything is focused on building towards qualifying for, and then competing at, the FIFA World Cup 2026, so this tournament is a perfect opportunity to play competitive games against highly ranked sides to see how we are tracking,” he said.
“It also gives us a great chance to test and refine our processes on and off the pitch to continually improve how we operate so that when qualifying comes around we are in the best place to perform.
“This is a big year for the team with FIFA World Cup qualifying starting, but I know all of the players selected, as well as the extended All Whites group not part of this squad, are really excited about the potential we have to do something special.”
Bazeley’s comments follow the announcement of the 24-player New Zealand squad for the W Cup tournament in March.
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Fixtures
Game to be played on Saturday March 23, 2024 (NZT)
New Zealand v Egypt
Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, 7am (NZT)
Tunisia v Croatia
Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi, 7am (NZT)
Game to be played on Tuesday March 26, 2024 (NZT)
Play-off for third place
Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, 7am (NZT)
Game to be played on Wednesday, March 27, 2024 (NZT)
Tournament final
Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, 7am (NZT)
How to watch
New Zealand’s games will be streamed live and free on FIFA+.
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