The Futsal Whites have their busiest month of fixtures since last year this September, taking part in the upcoming CFA International Futsal Tournament from September 5 - 11 and the OFC Futsal Cup from September 20 - 24.

The CFA International Futsal Tournament, hosted at the Shijizhuang College Sports Venue in Shijizhuang, China, features eight nations from around the world. New Zealand have been drawn in Group B alongside Myanmar (FIFA Rank 56), Cambodia (FIFA Rank 125), and Indonesia (FIFA Rank 21).

Group A features the hosts China PR, Korea Republic, United Arab Emirates and Denmark.

All teams will play off in semi-finals based on their final group placings, with the semi-final results determining their final play off matches (1st vs 2nd, 3rd vs 4th and so on).

Following the CFA International Futsal Tournament, the Futsal Whites will travel to Fiji to compete in the OFC Futsal Cup, the first time the team will face OFC opposition since qualifying to the FIFA Futsal World Cup.

The Futsal Whites will play Solomon Islands (FIFA Rank 59), Tuvalu (Unranked), Fiji (FIFA Rank 75) and Vanuatu (FIFA Rank 71) in a round robin format, with the tournament winner determined by points accumulated during the competition.

Head Coach Marvin Eakins is eager to get back to work with his team following their recent involvement at the Continental Futsal Championship in Thailand earlier this year.

“At this stage of our cycle, our priority is to play as many matches as possible, to test new combinations and introduce fresh players into the environment. These fixtures provide the perfect opportunity to do that.

“While we were disappointed with the results in Thailand, at this stage of the cycle it’s about our performances and exposing new players to the international stage. Our focus is the big picture of qualifying to the next FIFA Futsal World Cup, so we’re tracking well and looking forward to getting stuck in again and starting to turn the performances into results.

“We haven’t faced Oceania teams since our FIFA Futsal World Cup qualification, so the OFC Futsal Cup is an ideal opportunity to see where we stand against our Pacific neighbours. These are the opponents who will challenge us for a place at the 2028 FIFA Futsal World Cup, so testing ourselves against them now is an invaluable part of our preparations.”

The squad to compete at the CFA International Futsal Tournament is as follows
* Indicates a debut Futsal Whites callup

Rahan Ali - Moreland Blues Futsal, Australia
Stephen Ashby-Peckham - Auckland City FC, NZ
Ben Cameron - Canterbury United Dragons, NZ
Jordi Ditfort - Unattached
Philip Fatialofa - Capital Futsal. NZ
*Corbin Fell - River City Futsal, Australia
Michael Gealogo - Capital Futsal, NZ
Hamish Grey - Zambu CFS Pinatar, Spain
Ethan Martin - ZVV Kroeven, Netherlands
Thomas Picken - Black Shorts Futsal Club, Japan
Casey Sharplin - Waikato Rapids, NZ
Patrick Steele - Waikato Rapids, NZ
*Cooper Wink - Southern United, NZ
Logan Wisnewski - Unattached
 

Match information

CFA International Futsal Tournament 

Shijizhuang College Sports Venue, China

New Zealand v Myanmar (FIFA Rank 56) | Sep 5 10:30am local / 2:30pm NZT

New Zealand v Cambodia (FIFA Rank 125) | Sep 6 10:30am local/ 2:30pm NZT

New Zealand v Indonesia (FIFA Rank 21) | Sep 8 1:30pm local / 5:30pm NZT

Semi-finals | Sep 9

Finals | Sep 11

OFC Futsal Cup 

Vodafone Arena, Fiji

New Zealand v Solomon Islands (FIFA Rank 59) | Sep 20 4pm NZT

New Zealand v Tuvalu (Unranked) | Sep 21 4pm NZT

New Zealand v Fiji (FIFA Rank 75) | Sep 23 7pm NZT

New Zealand v Vanuatu (FIFA rank 71) | Sep 24 4pm NZT
 

Select matches at the CFA International Futsal Tournament will be livestreamed by the Chinese Football Association with details to follow on how to watch the matches.

All games at the OFC Futsal Cup will be broadcast live and free on FIFA+

Article added: Monday 01 September 2025