New Zealand will face three-time champions the United States in their opening game at the 2026 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Poland.
The New Zealanders will also play former world champions Japan and Italy in the four-nation Group D at the tournament to be staged from September 5-27, 2026, across four Polish host cities — Bielsko-Biała, Katowice, Łódź and Sosnowiec.
FIFA held the draw for the 24-team tournament in Lodz, Poland, in the early hours of Saturday May 16, 2026 (NZT), creating six groups.
Group A: Poland, Mexico, Argentina, Benin
Group B: Brazil, England, Canada, Tanzania
Group C: France, Korea Republic, Ghana, Ecuador
Group D: Japan, United States, New Zealand, Italy
Group E: Korea DPR, Colombia, Costa Rica, Portugal
Group F: Spain, Nigeria, China PR, New Caledonia
Oceania’s other representative at the tournament, New Caledonia, will play 2022 champions Spain. They’ll also face Nigeria and China PR, both of which have finished runners-up twice.
New Zealand qualified by winning the OFC U-19 Women’s Championship last year, while New Caledonia also qualified as runners-up at the tournament in Tahiti.
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The New Zealand U-19 women’s team that qualified for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. Photo credit: OFC Media / Phototek.
New Zealand will be aiming to progress beyond the group stage for the first time since reaching the quarter-finals in 2012. The 2026 edition will be New Zealand’s 10th appearance.
About New Zealand’s opponents
United States
World U-20 champions in 2002, 2008 and 2012.
Qualified for 11 previous FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cups.
Japan
World U-20 champions in 2018.
Qualified for eight previous FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cups.
Italy
Never progressed past the group stage.
Qualified for two previous FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cups.
The final match schedule, including kick-off times and venues for each fixture, will be released soon.
However, the general tournament schedule will see the following schedule for Group D:
Matchday 1
Games to be played September 7-8, 2026 (NZT)
Japan v Italy
Venue and kick-off tbc
United States v New Zealand
Venue and kick-off tbc
Matchday 2
Games to be played September 10-11, 2026 (NZT)
Japan v United States
Venue and kick-off tbc
New Zealand v Italy
Venue and kick-off tbc
Matchday 3
Games to be played September 13-14, 2026 (NZT)
New Zealand v Japan
Venue and kick-off tbc
Italy v United States
Venue and kick-off tbc
How the tournament format works
The top two teams in each group qualify for the Round of 16, along with the four third-placed teams with the best performance in their groups.
From the Round of 16 to the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final, the games are knockout, with extra time and penalties, if necessary, used to find winners.
This story was first published on May 16, 2026.