Soccer: Cup draw offers ray of hope for Ferns

Football Ferns coach John Herdman knows his side must be at their peak to make it past the group stage. Photo / Supplied

It is not the hardest of the four groups, but New Zealand still face a huge challenge if they are to progress beyond pool play at the 6th Fifa Women's World Cup in Germany next year.

While the Football Ferns avoided heavyweights the United States, defending champions Germany and world No 3 Brazil, they face a tricky challenge in group B against fifth-ranked Japan, 10th-ranked England and surprise Concacaf qualifiers Mexico who, at 22, are ranked one place higher than New Zealand.

The top two teams from each group qualify for the quarter-finals.

New Zealand will take some heart from recent results against their group's top-ranked teams.

As recently as October, they drew 0-0 with England at the Peace Queen Cup in Suwon (although they did lose a friendly a couple of days later 3-0). In their most recent of four outings against Japan, the Ferns lost 2-1 away in November last year and before that drew 2-2 in group play at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

This is New Zealand's third appearance at a Women's World Cup.

They failed to pick up a point in 1991 and 2007 - both tournaments played in China - and have scored only one goal, in the 4-1 loss to the hosts in the inaugural World Cup in 1991.

Four years ago they lost 5-0 to eventual runners-up Brazil and 2-0 to Denmark and China.

Coach John Herdman admitted some relief in avoiding Group A, where Nigeria was drawn from the same initial pot as New Zealand into a pool with Canada, France and hosts Germany; and also Group C where the US, North Korea and Sweden awaited Colombia.

"We've got a tough group but there are a couple of others that look extremely tough," Herdman said from Frankfurt. "We're not a team who fears anyone anymore but we definitely have respect for the tradition and pedigree of Japan and England.

"You don't get to fifth in the world or to the final of the European Championship by chance so we know that we have to be at our absolute best to get anything out of either of those matches at a World Cup."

WORLD CUP(Germany)

Group B
*June 27: NZ v Japan, Bochum

*July 1: NZ v England, Dresden

*July 5: NZ v Mexico, Sinsheim