New Zealand and New Caledonia will represent Oceania at next year’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.
The teams won their semi-finals at the OFC U-19 Women’s Championship in Tahiti, gaining automatic qualification for the World Cup tournament.
It means New Zealand have qualified for their tenth consecutive FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and are now one win away from claiming their ninth consecutive OFC U-19 Women’s Championship title.
Main photo: New Zealand are going to another FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. Photo credit: OFC Media / DJ Mills / Phototek.
New Zealand will face New Caledonia in the Oceania final on Sunday at Stade Paea, Papeete.
New Zealand won their semi-final 8-0 against Cook Islands, while, earlier, New Caledonia beat Fiji 2-0.
New Zealand had scored 22 goals without reply during the group stages, and undoubtedly started as huge favourites for the semi-final, despite a slow start.
The Cook Islands were organised early, and did well to keep chances to a premium with some disciplined defending inside their own third.
It took 33 minutes for New Zealand to open the scoring, the longest they’ve had to wait for a goal at the tournament in Tahiti.
New Zealand … another big win in Tahiti. Photo credit: OFC Media / DJ Mills / Phototek.
Zoe Benson was the one to break the Cook Islands’ early defensive resolve, powering the ball into the top of the net with a thunderbolt from long range off her right foot.
That opened the floodgates for New Zealand, and Emily Lyon added a second goal three minutes later, and a third in the 41st minute.
Both came from crosses into the Cook Islands penalty area, the first from Isla Cleall-Harding, and the second from Penny Brill.
Lyon completed her hat-trick at the start of the second half, latching onto a pass from Grace Bartlett, and rounding Uini for New Zealand’s fourth goal in the 55th minute.
New Zealand had beaten the Cook Islands 5-0 at the same semi-final stage in 2023, and this was a similarly dominant performance.
Their fifth goal on this occasion came in the 67th minute, Cleall-Harding finishing at the back post after a ball into the box off the left.
Lily Brazendale continued her record of scoring a goal in every one of New Zealand’s matches at the tournament, coming off the bench to add a sixth in the 76th minute, following a cross into the middle from Poppy O’Brien.
O’Brien scored New Zealand’s seventh in the 86th minute, before Brazendale scored her second in the 89th with a shot that crept through the fingers of Uini.
Action from the first semi-final, between Fiji (white shirts) and New Caledonia. Photo credit: OFC Media / DJ Mills / Phototek.
New Caledonia beat Fiji 2-0 to secure spot at FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup
New Caledonia qualified for next year’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup by beating Fiji 2-0 in the first semi-final in Tahiti.
Fiji created more opportunities throughout the first semi-final, but couldn’t find a way past New Caledonia’s player of the match, goalkeeper Elizabeth Aben, and were beaten by two second-half goals.
The win takes New Caledonia into the final of the OFC U-19 Women’s Championship for only the second time.
READ MORE: New Caledonia secure spot at next year’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup >>>>
Acknowledgement
We thank OFC Media for providing information for this story.
Results
Games played on Thursday October 2, 2025
Semi-final 1
Fiji 0
New Caledonia 2 (Kheiméra Gondou 59’, Aziliz Naaoutchoue 71’)
Semi-final 2
New Zealand 8 (Zoe Benson 33’, Emily Lyon 36’, 41’ 55’, Isla Cleall-Harding 67’, Lily Brazendale 76’, 89′, Poppy O’brien 86’)
Cook Islands 0
Fixtures
Game to be played on Friday October 3, 2025
Play-off for 5th place
Tonga v Tahiti
Stade de Punaruu, Tahiti. 2pm (NZT)
Games to be played on Sunday October 5, 2025
Play-off for 3rd place
Fiji v Cook Islands
Stade Paea, Papeete, Tahiti. 10am (NZT)
Final
New Caledonia v New Zealand
Stade Paea, Papeete, Tahiti. 2pm (NZT)
This story was first published on October 2, 2025.