New Zealand women's national football team
Women's national association football team representing New Zealand
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The New Zealand women's national football team represents New Zealand in international football competitions, and is governed by New Zealand Football (NZF). They are nicknamed the Football Ferns.
| |||
| Nickname | Football Ferns[1] | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | New Zealand Football | ||
| Confederation | OFC (Oceania) | ||
| Head coach | Michael Mayne | ||
| Captain | Ali Riley | ||
| Most caps | Ria Percival (166) | ||
| Top scorer | Amber Hearn (54) | ||
| FIFA code | NZL | ||
| |||
| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 35  2 (11 December 2025)[2] | ||
| Highest | 16 (December 2013, July 2015 – March 2016) | ||
| Lowest | 35 (December 2025) | ||
| First international | |||
 New Zealand 2–0 Hong Kong  (Hong Kong; 25 August 1975) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
New Zealand 21–0 Samoa  (Auckland, New Zealand; 9 October 1998) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 North Korea 11–0 New Zealand (Brisbane, Australia; 24 February 2004) | |||
| World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 6 (first in 1991) | ||
| Best result | Group stage (1991, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023) | ||
| Olympic Games | |||
| Appearances | 5 (first in 2008) | ||
| Best result | Quarter-finals (2012) | ||
| OFC Nations Cup | |||
| Appearances | 11 (first in 1983) | ||
| Best result | Champions (1983, 1991, 2007, 2010, 2014, 2018) | ||
Medal record | |||
The New Zealand national team has taken part in the FIFA Women's World Cup six times, making their debut in 1991.[3] New Zealand co-hosted the 2023 World Cup alongside Australia.[4] They have failed to go past the group stage in all occasions.
History
The New Zealand Women's Soccer Association was founded in 1975. By invitation, the team took part in the Asian Women's Championship in 1975 and won the championship.[5] They have since then played in the Oceanic Championship.
As Australia left the OFC, New Zealand had no serious and competitive rivals in Oceania. This made New Zealand's qualification to the World Cup and Olympics easier having contested every edition of both tournaments since 2007.
2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
New Zealand co-hosted the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup along with Australia after being awarded it on 25 June 2020 as the favourites over other bidder Colombia. The Football Ferns automatically qualified as co-hosts. Despite winning their opening match against Norway, their first World Cup win for either a women's or men's World Cup,[6] they suffered a shocking loss to debutants Philippines and later drew with Switzerland in their final match and were eliminated after Norway defeated the Philippines and finished above New Zealand on goal difference. This was the first time the hosts were eliminated from the group stage. They only managed to score one goal during the tournament.[7]
Team image
The New Zealand women's national football team are also known by their nickname the "Football Ferns".[1] Like their male counterparts, the team has traditionally worn all white kits. For the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, the Football Ferns switched to an all black first choice kit reminiscent of the New Zealand national rugby union team, as well as the country's national teams in other sports, including rugby league, field hockey, netball, basketball, volleyball, and limited overs cricket. The away kit pairs the traditional white shirts and socks with turquoise shorts.[8]
FIFA world rankings
- As of 14 July 2021[9]
Worst Ranking Best Ranking Worst Mover Best Mover
| New Zealand's FIFA world rankings | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Year | Games Played |
Won | Lost | Drawn | Best | Worst | ||||
| Rank | Move | Rank | Move | ||||||||
| 22 | 2021 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 |  0 | 22 | 0 | ||
Results and fixtures
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
- Legend
Win Draw Loss Fixture Void or Postponed
2025
| 5 April Friendly | Chinese Taipei  | Cancelled | New Zealand | Taiwan |
| Report | Attendance: 0 (Behind closed doors) | |||
| Note: The match was called off due to issues with the pitch.[10] | ||||
| 8 April Friendly | Chinese Taipei | Cancelled | New Zealand | Kaohsiung, Taiwan |
| 18:30 UTC+8 | Source | Stadium: Kaohsiung Nanzih Football Stadium | ||
| Note: The match was called off due to issues with the pitch.[11] | ||||
| 31 May Friendly | New Zealand | 1–3 |  Venezuela | San Pedro Alcántara, Spain |
| 18:00 UTC+2 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Marbella Football Center Referee: Seth Galia (Gibraltar) |
| 3 June Friendly | New Zealand | 2–1 | Venezuela | Algeciras, Spain |
| 18:00 UTC+2 | Report |
|
Stadium: Estadio Nuevo Mirador Referee: Seth Galia (Gibraltar) |
| 23 October Friendly | Mexico  | 1–0 | New Zealand | Mexico City, Mexico |
| 20:00 UTC−6 |
|
Report | Stadium: Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes Attendance: 10,250 Referee: Astrid Gramajo (Guatemala) |
| 26 October Friendly | Mexico | 2–0 | New Zealand | Ciudad Juárez, Mexico |
| 20:00 UTC−6 | Report | Stadium: Estadio Olímpico Benito Juárez Attendance: 2,000 Referee: Belkis Flores (Honduras) |
| 29 October Friendly | United States  | 6–0 | New Zealand | Kansas City, United States |
| 19:00 UTC−5 | Report | Stadium: CPKC Stadium Attendance: 11,044 Referee: Saphire Stockman (Costa Rica) |
| 28 November Friendly | Australia  | 5–0 | New Zealand | Gosford, Australia |
| 19:30 UTC+11 |
|
Report | Stadium: polytec Stadium Attendance: 20,519 Referee: Kim Yu-jeong (South Korea) |
| 2 December Friendly | Australia | 2–0 | New Zealand | Adelaide, Australia |
| 20:00 UTC+10:30 | Report | Stadium: Coopers Stadium Attendance: 15,097 Referee: Hong Yu (China) |
2026
| 27 February 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification | New Zealand | 8–0 | Samoa | Honiara, Solomon Islands |
| 13:00 UTC+11 | Report (FIFA) | Stadium: National Stadium Attendance: 200 Referee: Mu Mingxin (China) |
| 2 March 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification | New Zealand | 8–0 |  Solomon Islands | Honiara, Solomon Islands |
| 17:00 UTC+11 | Report (FIFA) | Stadium: National Stadium Attendance: 400 Referee: Gulshoda Saitkulova (Uzbekistan) |
| 5 March 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification | American Samoa  | 0–3 | New Zealand | Honiara, Solomon Islands |
| 13:00 UTC+11 | Report (FIFA) | Stadium: National Stadium Attendance: 200 Referee: Mu Mingxin (China) |
| 12 April 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification | New Zealand | v |  Fiji | Hamilton, New Zealand |
| Stadium: FMG Stadium Waikato |
- New Zealand Fixtures and Results – Soccerway.com
Coaching staff
Current coaching staff
| Position | Name[12] |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Michael Mayne |
| Assistant coach |  Jenni Foster |
| Assistant coach | Sam Wilkinson |
| Assistant coach | Jenny Bindon |
| Goalkeeping coach |  Will Britt |
| Performance Analyst | Alice Noyer |
| Sports Scientist | Reilly O'Meagher |
Manager history
Dave Farrington (1975–1979)[14]- Ken Armstrong (1980)[15]
Dave Boardman (1981–1982)- Roy Cox (1983–1987)[16]
- Dave Boardman (1988–1994)[16]
- Jeff Coulshed (1994)[17]
- Nora Watkins (1995)[18]
- Maurice Tillotson (1995–1998)[19]
- Douglas Moore (1999–2000)[20]
- Sandy Davie (2001–2003)[21]
- Fred Simpson (2003)
- Alison Grant & Wendi Henderson (2004)[22]
- Mick Leonard (2005)[23]
- John Herdman (2006)[24]
- Allan Jones (2006–2007)[25][26]
- John Herdman (2007–2011)[27][28]
- Tony Readings (2011–2017)[29][30]
Andreas Heraf (2017–2018)[31][32]
Tom Sermanni (2018–2021)[33][34]
Jitka Klimková (2021–2024)[35]- Michael Mayne (2024–)[36]
Players
Current squad
The following players were called up for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification matches on 27 February – 5 March 2026. [37][38]
- Caps and goals correct as of 5 March 2026, after the match against American Samoa.[39]
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Victoria Esson | 6 March 1991 | 32 | 0 | Wellington Phoenix |
| 21 | GK | Alina Santos | 25 August 2003 | 2 | 0 | Denver Pioneers |
| 23 | GK | Maddie Iro | 24 October 2005 | 1 | 0 | Hills United |
| 2 | DF | Manaia Elliott | 21 April 2005 | 7 | 2 | Wellington Phoenix |
| 3 | DF | Claudia Bunge | 21 September 1999 | 40 | 1 | Melbourne Victory |
| 4 | DF | Mackenzie Barry | 11 April 2001 | 24 | 1 | Wellington Phoenix |
| 5 | DF | Meikayla Moore | 4 June 1996 | 77 | 4 |  Calgary Wild |
| 7 | DF | Michaela Foster | 9 January 1999 | 33 | 1 | Durham |
| 13 | DF | Rebekah Stott | 17 June 1993 | 110 | 4 | Melbourne City |
| 16 | DF | Suya Haering | 3 July 2005 | 2 | 0 |  FC Carl Zeiss Jena |
| 19 | DF | Elizabeth Anton | 12 December 1998 | 27 | 0 | Canberra United |
| 6 | MF | Maya Hahn | 7 February 2001 | 10 | 1 | Viktoria Berlin |
| 8 | MF | Katie Kitching | 30 November 1998 | 26 | 7 | Sunderland |
| 12 | MF | Grace Wisnewski | 28 June 2002 | 7 | 0 |  FC Nordsjælland |
| 14 | MF | Emma Pijnenburg | 13 September 2004 | 11 | 0 | Wellington Phoenix |
| 15 | MF | Deven Jackson | 22 April 1998 | 8 | 1 | Melbourne City |
| 17 | MF | Charlotte Lancaster | 8 November 2003 | 3 | 0 | Newcastle Jets |
| 9 | FW | Milly Clegg | 1 November 2005 | 23 | 4 |  Vittsjö GIK |
| 10 | FW | Indiah-Paige Riley | 20 December 2001 | 37 | 9 | Crystal Palace |
| 11 | FW | Kelli Brown | 21 February 2001 | 11 | 4 | Newcastle Jets |
| 18 | FW | Grace Jale | 10 April 1999 | 37 | 10 | Wellington Phoenix |
| 20 | FW | Pia Vlok | 4 September 2008 | 3 | 1 | Wellington Phoenix |
| 22 | FW | Hannah Blake | 5 May 2000 | 10 | 3 | Durham |
Recent call-ups
The following players have also been called up to the squad within the past 12 months.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Anna Leat | 26 June 2001 | 22 | 0 | Newcastle Jets |
v. Australia, 2 December 2025 |
| GK | Brianna Edwards | 27 January 2003 | 1 | 0 | Western Sydney Wanderers |
v. Venezuela, 3 June 2025 |
| GK | Claudia Jenkins | 20 June 1998 | 0 | 0 | Adelaide United |
v. Venezuela, 31 May 2025 |
| DF | Lara WallINJ | 31 May 2000 | 2 | 0 | Wellington Phoenix |
v. Samoa, 27 February 2026 |
| DF | CJ Bott | 22 April 1995 | 50 | 3 | Wellington Phoenix |
v. Australia, 2 December 2025 |
| DF | Ally Green | 17 August 1998 | 18 | 2 | Calgary Wild |
v. Australia, 2 December 2025 |
| DF | Kate Taylor | 21 October 2003 | 28 | 2 |  Dijon |
v. Australia, 2 December 2025 |
| DF | Katie Bowen | 15 April 1994 | 116 | 4 |  Inter Milan |
v. United States, 29 October 2025 |
| DF | Grace Neville | 9 April 2000 | 14 | 0 | Ipswich Town |
v. United States, 29 October 2025 |
| DF | Rebecca Lake | 13 May 1999 | 0 | 0 | Vancouver Rise |
v. United States, 29 October 2025 |
| MF | Olivia Chance | 5 October 1993 | 47 | 2 |  Kolbotn |
v. Australia, 2 December 2025 |
| MF | Betsy Hassett | 4 August 1990 | 159 | 16 |  Stjarnan |
v. Australia, 2 December 2025 |
| MF | Annalie Longo | 1 July 1991 | 142 | 15 | Auckland United |
v. Australia, 2 December 2025 |
| MF | Jana Radosavljević | 4 November 1996 | 3 | 0 |  C.S. Marítimo |
v.  Taiwan, 8 April 2025 |
| FW | Jacqui Hand | 19 February 1999 | 37 | 9 | Kolbotn |
v. Australia, 2 December 2025 |
| FW | Gabi Rennie | 7 July 2001 | 43 | 2 | Eskilstuna United |
v. Australia, 2 December 2025 |
| FW | Ruby Nathan | 11 October 2005 | 5 | 1 | Eastern Suburbs |
v. Venezuela, 3 June 2025 |
| ||||||
Captains
- Ali Riley – 50 matches (2017–2025)
- Abby Erceg – 49 matches (2013–2017)
- Rebecca Smith – 45 matches (2003–2007, 2011–2012)
- Hayley Moorwood – 43 matches (2007–2011)
- Barbara Cox – 19 matches (1975,1984–1987)
- Terry McCahill – 14 matches (1995–1998)
- Marilyn Marshall – 12 matches (?)
- Wendi Henderson – 9 matches (2000, 2006–2007)
- Maureen Jacobson – 9 matches (2005–2006)
- Ali Grant – 6 matches (1981–1983)
- Ria Percival – 6 matches (2017, 2019, 2023)
- Leslie King – 5 matches (1991)
- Viv Robertson – 5 matches (1998–1991)
- Rebekah Stott - 7 matches
Records
- As of 2 December 2025 [40]
- Players in bold are still active with the national team.
Most capped players
| # | Player | Years | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ria Percival | 2006–2023 | 166 | 15 |
| 2 | Ali Riley | 2007–2024 | 163 | 2 |
| 3 | Betsy Hassett | 2008– | 160 | 16 |
| 4 | Abby Erceg | 2006–2022 | 146 | 6 |
| 5 | Annalie Longo | 2006-2025 | 144 | 15 |
| 6 | Amber Hearn | 2004–2018 | 125 | 54 |
| Hannah Wilkinson | 2010–2024 | 125 | 32 | |
| 8 | Katie Duncan | 2006–2019 | 124 | 1 |
| 9 | Katie Bowen | 2011– | 116 | 4 |
| 10 | Rosie White | 2009–2021 | 111 | 24 |
Top goalscorers
| # | Player | Years | Goals | Caps | Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amber Hearn (list) | 2004–2018 | 54 | 125 | 0.43 |
| 2 | Wendy Sharpe | 1980–1995 | 34 | 51 | 0.67 |
| Sarah Gregorius | 2010–2020 | 34 | 100 | 0.34 | |
| 4 | Hannah Wilkinson | 2010–2024 | 32 | 125 | 0.26 |
| 5 | Rosie White | 2009–2021 | 24 | 111 | 0.22 |
| 6 | Maureen Jacobson | 1979–1996 | 17 | 53 | 0.32 |
| Wendi Henderson | 1987–2007 | 17 | 64 | 0.27 | |
| 8 | Betsy Hassett | 2008– | 16 | 160 | 0.1 |
| 9 | Pernille Andersen | 1998–1998 | 15 | 7 | 2.14 |
| Annalie Longo | 2006–2025 | 15 | 144 | 0.1 | |
| Ria Percival | 2006–2023 | 15 | 166 | 0.09 |
Honours
Competitive record
FIFA Women's World Cup
| New Zealand's FIFA Women's World Cup record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Pos | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Squad | Outcome | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
 1991 | Group stage | 11th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 11 | Squad | Via OFC Women's Nations Cup | |||||||
| 1995 | Did not qualify | ||||||||||||||||
| 1999 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Group stage | 14th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | Squad | ||||||||
| 2011 | 12th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | Squad | |||||||||
| 2015 | 19th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Squad | |||||||||
 2019 | 20th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | Squad | |||||||||
| 2023 | 20th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Squad | Qualified as co-hosts | ||||||||
 2027 | To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||||
  2031 | |||||||||||||||||
   2035 | |||||||||||||||||
| Total | Group stage | 6/9 | 18 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 9 | 35 | 32 | 28 | 0 | 4 | 252 | 9 | |||
Olympic Games
| Summer Olympics record | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Host | Round | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Squad |
| 1996 | United States | Did not qualify | |||||||||
| 2000 | Australia | ||||||||||
| 2004 |  Greece | Did not enter | |||||||||
| 2008 | China | Group stage | 10th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | −5 | Squad |
| 2012 |  United Kingdom | Quarter-finals | 8th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | −2 | Squad |
| 2016 | Brazil | Group stage | 9th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | Squad |
| 2020 |  Japan | Group stage | 12th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 | −8 | Squad |
| 2024 | France | Group stage | 10th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 6 | −4 | Squad |
| Total | Quarter-finals | 5/8 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 10 | 33 | −23 | ||
OFC Women's Nations Cup
| OFC Women's Nations Cup record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1983 | Champions | 1st | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 3 | |
| 1986 | Third place | 3rd | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | |
| 1989 | Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 1 | |
| 1991 | Champions | 1st | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 28 | 1 | |
 1994 | Runners-up | 2nd | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 2 | |
| 1998 | Runners-up | 2nd | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 41 | 3 | |
| 2003 | Runners-up | 2nd | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 29 | 2 | |
| 2007 | Champions | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 1 | |
| 2010 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 0 | |
| 2014 | Champions | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | |
 2018 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 0 | |
| 2022 |
Did not enter | ||||||||
| 2025 | |||||||||
| Total | 6 titles | 11/13 | 45 | 37 | 1 | 7 | 289 | 16 | |
AFC Women's Asian Cup
| AFC Women's Asian Cup record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| Invitee | ||||||||
| 1975 | Champions | 1st | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 |
| Total | 1 title | 1/1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 |
Algarve Cup
The Algarve Cup is an invitational tournament for national teams in women's association football hosted by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). Held annually in the Algarve region of Portugal since 1994, it is one of the most prestigious and longest-running women's international football events and has been nicknamed the "Mini FIFA Women's World Cup".[41]
| Algarve Cup record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | GF | GA | GD |
| 2016 | 4th place | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2020 | 4th place | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 |
| Total | 2/28 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 8 | −4 |
SheBelieves Cup
The SheBelieves Cup is a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's soccer hosted in the United States.
| SheBelieves Cup record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | GF | GA | GD |
| 2022 | 4th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | −6 |
| Total | 1/10 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | −6 |
See also
- Sport in New Zealand
- New Zealand women's national football team
- New Zealand women's national football team results
- List of New Zealand women's international footballers
- New Zealand women's national under-20 football team
- New Zealand women's national under-17 football team