New Zealand Women’s U-20 head coach Leon Birnie has had to leave the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2024, currently being held in Colombia, due to health reasons. 

2024 is the fourth FIFA tournament where Birnie has been head coach of a women’s age group side, most notably including the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2018 where he led his team to a third-place finish, Aotearoa New Zealand’s best ever result. 

Assistant coach Maia Vink will assume the role of head coach for the rest of the tournament, with the team set to next face Ghana in their final Group E game on Monday 9 September [NZT].

Article added: Saturday 07 September 2024