We’ve had seven days of 2022 so we thought we’d take a look at 7 things to get excited about in the first few months of the new year. 


More men’s international football

The All Whites played their first game in nearly 700 Covid-19 influenced days in October 2021 and since their return they are unbeaten. Danny Hay’s young side have gone three for three with wins against Curaçao, Bahrain and The Gambia as well as beating the Algeria side which went on to win the FIFA Arab Cup 2021. 

As announced in December, the team will kick off a busy 2022 with games against Jordan (Saturday 29 January NZT) and Uzbekistan (Wednesday 2 February NZT). Both games will be played in the Middle East as the team look to continue their good form and acclimates to the conditions ahead of returning in March for…


FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifying 

Severely delayed due to Covid-19, the men’s national team will finally get their qualification campaign for the FIFA World Cup 2022 underway in March but, as announced in November, it is going to look very different to previous years.

OFC sides will be taking part in a single qualification tournament in Qatar from 14-30 March, before and during the March FIFA international window. The All Whites have been drawn with New Caledonia, Fiji and Papua New Guinea in one of two groups. The top two will progress to play the top two from the second group in the semi-finals. 

The eventual winner of the tournament will face the fourth-placed Concacaf side in a single legged intercontinental play-off game for a spot at the 2022 tournament. It’s a big couple of months for Danny Hay side which could potentially lead them to the biggest tournament of all.


More women’s international football

2021 ended in the best possible way for the Ford Football Ferns as Jitka Klimková side got their first win with her in charge, beating South Korea 0-2 at the end of November with goals from Paige Satchell and Gabi Rennie. 
 

Players celebrate with Gabi Rennie after her goal against South Korea | Photosport NZ

The Ferns will be looking to build on that performance, plus the encouraging signs in the previous friendlies, as they take part in the recently announced SheBelieves Cup 2022 in the USA. 

Klimková’s side are set to face the world champion USA side, the Czech Republic and Iceland at the tournament as they continue to develop ahead of New Zealand co-hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 next year. The Ferns kick off against Iceland on Friday 18 February (NZT) at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.


Futsal returns in a big way

Covid-19 and schedule changes to the futsal calendar meant that the Women’s Futsal SuperLeague hasn’t been able to take place for two years. That all changes in 2022 with the competition back, bigger than ever and aligned with the men’s edition. 
 

 

Auckland celebrating their 2020 Women's Futsal SuperLeague win | Photosport NZ

As announced in August, both the men’s and women’s competitions have moved from the spring to the autumn, giving them a dedicated place in the football calendar and an opportunity to continue to grow. 

The competitions are provisionally scheduled to run from February to April with dates and venues set to be announced soon. 


Domestic cup semi and finals

The Football Foundation Kate Sheppard Cup and Chatham Cup were two other competitions heavily disrupted by Covid-19. With Auckland in lockdown, both semi-finals in the Kate Sheppard Cup (Coastal Spirit v Hamilton Wanderers and Wellington United v Eastern Suburbs) and the remaining semi-final in the Chatham Cup (Miramar Rangers v North Shore United) had to be postponed until 2022. 

Due to be played before the start of the domestic season, 2022 will kick-off with some of the top sides in the country fighting it out for national glory. 


Wellington Phoenix in the FFA Cup semi-final for the first time

After Alex Paulsen’s penalty shootout heroics, which saw the 19-year-old keeper save three spot kicks vs Melbourne City, Wellington Phoenix have qualified for the FFA Cup semi-final for the first time. 
 

The Nix will next be playing Melbourne Victory (date TBC) and will be hoping to bring their cup form into the league after a difficult start to the season. 


New Zealand Football Awards 

The New Zealand Football Awards crown the best players, coaches, teams and officials in the country each year but, as with much of the second half of 2021, had to be moved due to Covid-19 and the Auckland lockdown. 

The Awards will return in early 2022 where they will highlight some of the best football and futsal achievements from the last 18 months, rather than the usual last calendar year. 

Fans will again get the chance to cast their votes alongside experts as the best New Zealand footballing moments are celebrated.

Article added: Friday 07 January 2022