Big fixtures for Football Ferns

The Football Ferns have locked in two high-profile European opponents for the June Fifa international window, as they take on Norway and Wales in a pair of international friendlies.

The Ferns will play Norway in Oslo on June 25, before heading to Pinatar, Spain, to face Wales three days later.

“These games present a great opportunity to continue to learn about our player pool, build a stronger culture within the squad, and play games in Europe where many of our players are based and won’t have to endure long-haul travel,” says Football Ferns head coach Jitka Klimkova´.

“We realised in Australia that if we stay connected on and off the field we can compete against any opponent in the world.

“As we continue our preparations for the opening match of the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup, we’re delighted to have these high-calibre opposition confirmed.”

Norway will see this game as an important part of their build up to July’s Uefa Women’s Euros, where they are drawn in Group A alongside hosts England, Austria and Northern Ireland.

The Fifa Women’s World Cup 2019 quarterfinalists finished third at the Algarve Cup in February.

The Football Ferns last played Norway at the 2020 Algarve Cup in the third-place playoff where they were beaten 2-1, Hannah Wilkinson netting for the Ferns. They’ve played Norway eight times since first meeting in 1981, and have a 2-2-4 windraw-loss record.

This will be just their third encounter with Wales, having won the first game between the two sides back in 2011 2-0, before losing 1-0 in 2019.