Betty sam

Papua New Guinea: A solitary second-half strike ensured the New Zealand women's football team booked their place at the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Papua New Guinea (PNG) in the OFC Qualifier final on Wednesday.

The victory confirms New Zealand women’s seventh appearance at the global showpiece and extends their run to six consecutive qualifications since the 2007 edition.

It also marks only the second instance where New Zealand’s senior men’s and women’s teams will feature in back-to-back FIFA World Cups in successive years, echoing the feat achieved when the men competed at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, followed by the women’s participation in Germany 2011.