The Ford Football Ferns have announced their first opponent of the October FIFA window, facing World Number 2 and Olympic Champions, the USA, in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday 30 October 2025 NZT (Wednesday 29 October local time). 

The match will be played at CPKC Stadium, home of NWSL side Kansas City Current, kicking off at 1pm NZT (7pm local time), and will be broadcast live and free in Aotearoa New Zealand on FIFA+. 

The game marks the 22nd time the two sides have faced each other at senior international level.  

The Ferns come into the October international window in good form after two wins, a draw, and a loss so far in 2025 under new head coach Michael Mayne. 

“Our strategy in the first half of 2025 was to use the initial international windows to really work on our playing style, and it has been great to see the players buy into that with some good success on the pitch,” says Ford Football Ferns head coach Michael Mayne. 

“We now need to challenge ourselves against some really top sides to see how we are processing, and the USA are the ultimate test for that.

“Knowing we start our FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifying journey in early 2026, we want to use the rest of this year to make sure we are in the best place not just to qualify for, but perform at, the tournament. 

“We have made progress, but we know there is still work to do to ensure we achieve our goal of getting out of our group in Brazil in 2027.”

The Ford Football Ferns will be playing in both the October and November 2025 FIFA match windows, before starting FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 qualifying in February 2026.  

The finals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 - Oceania Qualifiers are set to be played in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland in April 2026. 

Article added: Friday 22 August 2025