Football: New Zealand women announce blockbuster World Cup warm-up matches against USA

The Football Ferns will no doubt excited to square off against the world's best. Photo / Photosport

The Football Ferns will have the best possible build-up for the 2023 World Cup, with two blockbuster home matches against the United States early next year.

The fixtures – in Wellington on January 18 and Auckland three days later – will be historic, as the four-time world champions have never played on New Zealand soil.

It’s a massive boost for the Ferns, as there is no greater benchmark in the sport. Though other teams have got closer in recent years – notably England, Sweden and Canada – the United States remain the gold standard, with remarkable depth and quality derived from their college pathways.

They will be chasing an unprecedented third straight tournament win in 2023, after their triumphs in France (2019) and Canada (2015). They also lifted the trophy in 1991 and 1999 and have won four Olympic titles, while they reached the podium at every World Cup and Olympic Games between 1991 and 2015.

The Stars and Stripes will represent a massive challenge, but one that is needed, six months out from the World Cup.

“It’s exciting to play the world champions at home,” coach Jitka Klimkova told the Herald. “The most important thing is that we are coming home again. But playing against the USA is special - they are the best team in the world.

“We know how challenging those games are going to be. We know we will be defending a lot and we need to be prepared for that. It will be about our compact defence and making the most of it when we have the ball and improving in our possession game.”

The matches are part of a reciprocal deal, signed earlier this year, which saw the Ferns play at the She Believes Cup in February in the United States.

It’s also an opportunity for the American team, who will play three Group E matches here at the World Cup (Auckland and Wellington) as well as possible quarter-final and semifinals, if they progress.

It means they familiarise themselves with stadiums, facilities and other logistics, which is also important for the Ferns.

“We want to get used to home stadiums, home crowds,” said Klimkova.

The Football Ferns have played the USA on 22 occasions, with 19 defeats. Their sole victory came in 1987, a famous 1-0 win in Taipei. They also achieved draws in 2012 (0-0) and 2013 (1-1).

The last two encounters were not happy occasions, with a 5-0 loss in February and a 6-1 reverse at the Tokyo Olympics, but Klimkova is not concerned about the possibility of similar scorelines.

“We are getting used to playing against strong opposition lately,” said Klimkova, pointing out that nine of the Ferns last 14 matches have been against top-tier nations, including Canada, South Korea, Australia, Norway and Japan.

“Playing against the most challenging team is when we need to be on our toes even more.”

The Ferns pre-World Cup schedule is now almost complete, with two games against South Korea next month and a match with Portugal in Hamilton in February. There are still two other February fixtures to be arranged, around the time of the Fifa playoff tournament, which decide the final three qualified nations for the World Cup.

Football Ferns v USA

Wednesday 18 January, 2023: Sky Stadium, Wellington, 4pm kick-off

Saturday 21 January, 2023: Eden Park, Auckland, 4pm kick-off