NZ Football chief ‘100% excited’ ahead of busy stretch around Cup
NZ Football chief executive Andrew Pragnell knows he is in for a busy six months once he returns from Rwanda, where he was last week attending the Fifa Congress.
He said that walked away from the annual gathering of football leaders from around the world with a smile, for several reasons.
One of them was confirmation that the Fifa Women’s World Cup that New Zealand is co-hosting with Australia this year wouldn’t be tainted by sponsorship from Visit Saudi – the tourism board of a country that severely restricts the rights of women.
Another was the announcement that Fifa would significantly increase the prize money and financial support on offer to teams at Women’s World Cups – with a total of NZ$246m on offer at this year’s event, and a promise of parity with the 2026 men’s World Cup for the next event in 2027.
With the Football Ferns expected to continue to qualify out of Oceania with ease for years to come, and the All Whites’ chances of qualifying enhanced now the region has a guaranteed slot at men’s World Cups, which will feature 48 teams from 2026, there should be regular, substantial boosts to NZ Football’s coffers.
Another piece of good news was confirmation the 2026 men’s World Cup would feature fourteam groups instead of three-team groups as originally planned. That means that if the All Whites do make it, they will be guaranteed an extra match, and with eight of the 12 third-placed teams in the group stage advancing to the knockout rounds, they will have plenty to play for.
The road to that tournament begins this week, kicking off a six-month stretch that could have far-reaching impacts on football in New Zealand, heading into an era where the financial and competitive landscape it finds itself in is changing for the better.
Pragnell said he was ‘‘100% excited’’ by what lies in store between now and the end of September, including:
● as many as four All Whites’ matches, starting with two against China this week in Auckland and Wellington
● at least five Football Ferns’ matches, including a minimum of three at their home World Cup
● the co-hosting of that tournament in a broader sense, which should be the highlight of the period
● a men’s Under-20 World Cup campaign in Indonesia in May and June
● the likely formation of an Auckland A-Leagues club, hoped to take place by June
● the men’s qualification campaign for next year’s Paris Olympics, which will take place in New Zealand in August and September
● and a domestic winter season where the 100th anniversary of the Chatham Cup knockout competition is set to be celebrated.
The permanent appointment of a new All Whites coach should come between their friendlies in March and the next ones in June, though it could be further delayed, while there will be plenty of focus on the Ferns as they try to find form ahead of their World Cup opener on July 20, against Norway at Eden Park in Auckland. They are next set to be in action in Turkey, though not against Turkey, in early April, with fixtures due to be confirmed this week.
Away from NZF’s direct influence, there is a potential coaching vacancy looming for the Wellington Phoenix men, if Ufuk Talay leaves, while women’s coach Natalie Lawrence is also off contract, and that programme will soon fall entirely under the Phoenix’s control after the governing body played a significant role in its first two seasons.
In the meantime, there will be plenty of interest in whether the fifth-placed Phoenix men can make a finals run and whether the Phoenix women can avoid the dreaded wooden spoon, with three matches remaining in their second campaign.
‘‘It is going to be a busy period, but these are all opportunities for development and growth and we benefit from having the best game in the world,’’ Pragnell said.
‘‘There’s enormous opportunity for the game in this country. We’re about to go through another growth phase, both as an organisation, but also as a sport.
‘‘There are some big challenges, there’s no hiding behind that, and I’m sure we’ll hit a few speed bumps along the way, but there’s nothing better than just walking straight into this stuff.’’
Australian Professional Leagues chief Danny Townsend announced last week that it was looking to bring together local and foreign investors to form an Auckland A-Leagues club, with a view to handing over a licence in June and having teams enter A-League Men and A-League Women from the 2024-25 season.
‘‘What’s exciting about the conversations I’ve had with Danny is that they’re really interested in putting deep foundations into this club.
‘‘It’s not intended to be a fly-bynight venture. They want to do that with the football community ... in a way that excites everyone ...’’