The Ford Football Ferns have confirmed their next international fixtures, with the team set to take on Chinese Taipei (FIFA rank 42) in Taiwan this April. 

The Ferns will face the Blue Magpies on Tuesday 8 April at Kaohsiung Nanzih Football Stadium in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, kicking off at 10:30pm NZT (6:30pm local time). 

The sides will also face-off in a behind closed doors training game three days earlier on Saturday 5 April. 

The team will be led by interim head coach Michael Mayne while New Zealand Football continue recruitment for the permanent Ford Football Ferns head coach role. 

The matches follow the team’s two game series against Costa Rica where the Ford Football Ferns were undefeated, winning one game and drawing the other. 

“These two games are a really great opportunity for us as a team to continue to build on what we started against Costa Rica” says interim head coach Michael Mayne. 

“For our February games we implemented a new playing style, new language, and new ideas in the way we work that we believe can help us be better in a number of ways going forward.

“This Costa Rican tour has been the start of a really positive build, and I have felt the players have done an excellent job to come in and take on the challenge collectively. 

“Now I want to review our work, watch some club games and prepare for what I believe is another very good challenge in our new cycle. 

“What we need now is more time together to continue that development our way, so the prospect of having a long camp together with a training behind closed doors game, followed by a full international fixture at the end of the window, is a great solution for the team at this moment.”

Article added: Wednesday 26 February 2025