Fresh from winning the OFC U-16 Women’s Championship last month, which qualified them for the 2025 edition, the New Zealand U-17 side is set to kick off at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic.

Aotearoa has a strong pedigree at the tournament, having finished third in 2018. They will open their campaign by taking on reigning bronze medallists Nigeria in their first match in Santiago de los Caballeros.

Head coach Alana Gunn has selected a robust 21-player squad, 13 of whom were part of the team that won the OFC U-16 Women’s Championship last month, including top scorer Laura Bennett.

 

Speaking to FIFA.com ahead of the tournament, captain Alyssha Eglinton shared her thoughts on the atmosphere in camp:

“I think as a team, we've really come together over the past 10 days that we've been here, and over the past year. Together, we're super ready and quite confident in ourselves and our abilities.

“From the start, our main goal has been to get out of the group and progress as far as we can. We want to build a playing style that we're proud of, and all of our qualities together will help with that. We're really excited to develop our team and establish our own unique playing style.”

For their opponents, the African side was impressive in 2022, narrowly missing out on the final in a penalty shootout, and they secured a 4-0 win over New Zealand in the group stage.

Nigeria’s biggest threat is forward Harmony Chidi, who scored 12 goals in six qualifying matches, leading her team to victory in the African qualifiers while looking to idolise her hero, Victor Osimhen.

New Zealand vs. Nigeria kicks off at 9 AM NZT on Thursday, 17 October, and can be watched live and free on FIFA+.

Article added: Wednesday 16 October 2024