New Zealand will play at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil next year after beating Papua New Guinea 1-0 in the final of the Oceania Confederation Qualifying Series on Wednesday.
Sunderland midfielder Katie Kitching scored the only goal of the match in the 55th minute to send New Zealand to a World Cup for the seventh time.
Papua New Guinea still has a chance to qualify through an intercontinental play-off during the international period in November or December.
New Zealand were denied twice by VAR, four times by the woodwork and repeatedly by Papua New Guinea goalkeeper Betty Sam, who was outstanding in a hard-working defence.
Deven Jackson appeared to have scored from Rebecca Stott’s through ball in the 32nd minute, but VAR showed Jackson had been caught by PNG’s offside trap.
New Zealand were awarded a penalty in first-half stoppage time after Maya Hahn was brought down in the penalty area, but the decision was overturned after the referees considered replays for more than five minutes.
Katie Kitching of the Football Ferns celebrates her goal. | Photo credit: Getty Images
Katie Kitching of the Football Ferns celebrates her goal. | Photo credit: Getty Images
New Zealand’s finishing let it down repeatedly, most notably when Jackson missed an open goal in the 51st minute.
«It’s great. We had a job to do tonight and we did what we had to do to get the result,» New Zealand coach Michael Mayne said. “We are thrilled with our visit to the World Cup and now we can plan and see what we need to do this year to prepare for the World Cup.
«At half-time we talked about our finishing. The frustration had to be tempered. We were creating, we felt a goal was coming and it was one of those games where we had chances but weren’t clinical when we needed to be.»
Papua New Guinea didn’t have a shot on target, but their defense was excellent. It earned its place in the final with a 1-0 win over giant killer American Samoa, while New Zealand defeated Fiji 5-0 in the semi-finals.
“I’m very proud of the girls,” said Papua New Guinea coach Ericson Komeng. “We weren’t clinical enough tonight to compete with New Zealand, but I’m proud of the girls for all the hard work they put in today.
“We just have to go back and work on little things and get ready for the playoff.”
Published on April 15, 2026
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