New Zealand and Samoa will fly the flag for Oceania when the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2026™ kicks off in Morocco this weekend.
The tenth edition of the tournament will run from the 17th of October – 7th of November and feature 24 teams from around the world, fighting for the opportunity to be crowned FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup champions.
As the tournament prepares for kick-off, we’ve taken a closer look at the format, the venues, the history, and two teams representing OFC.
The format
The 24 competing teams have been split into six groups of four, all of whom have qualified through their continental competitions.
The top two in each group will progress to the Round of 16, whilst the four best third-placed sides will also qualify for the knockout stages. From there the competition will follow a knockout format through to the final on the 7th of November.
The venues
Morocco will host the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for the second year in a row and is scheduled to host the tournament annually until 2029.
48 of the 52 matches will be held at the Mohammed VI Football Academy in Salé, where four pitches will be used. The Academy was built in 2009 as an initiative to promote and modernize football infrastructure in Morocco.
Meanwhile, the two semi-finals, the play-off for third place, and the final, will all be held at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, which seats 22,000 spectators.
Tournament History
Korea DPR return to Morocco as the defending champions, after lifting the trophy with a 3-0 victory over the Netherlands in the final in Rabat last year. They are the tournament’s most successful nation with four FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup titles.
Spain, Japan, Korea Republic, and France, are the only other winners of the event, since it was first held in 2008.
New Zealand
Having hosted the inaugural edition of the tournament 18 years ago, New Zealand will maintain their 100% attendance record when they appear at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco this month.
The Young Football Ferns secured qualification with a seventh consecutive OFC U-16 Women’s Championship title in 2025, defeating Samoa 3-0 in the final, part of a qualifying campaign which saw them score 22 goals and concede just two.
It’s been eight years since they last won a match at the competition though, during their memorable run to the bronze medal in 2018. They’ve since exited at the group stage at all three tournaments.
“I think one of the biggest lessons from previous World Cups is understanding that we can compete at this level and that we can win games,” says head coach Alana Gunn. “We’ve learned a lot from those experiences, both the good and the challenging moments, and that’s helped shape how we’ve prepared this group.”
New Zealand have been drawn into an intriguing group at this year’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and will take part in the tournament curtain-raiser against hosts Morocco. Germany and Argentina are their other two opponents in Group A.
“To open a World Cup against the host nation, in front of their home crowd, is an awesome opportunity for the girls,” says Gunn.
“It’s an exciting group, and three quite different challenges for us. Morocco will have the home crowd behind them, Argentina will bring their own style and intensity, and Germany have a strong footballing history and high standards.”
Gunn will lead them at the World Cup for a third time and has named a 21-player squad which features ten players who are fresh off winning the OFC U-16 Women’s Championship 2026 title in the Solomon Islands. A further five in the squad also play their club football for overseas-based clubs.
“We’ve done our homework on our opponents, but we’re also really focused on ourselves. What does our football look like? How do we want to defend, how do we want to attack, and how do we respond when things get difficult?”
Match Schedule
New Zealand
Morocco v New Zealand
Sunday 18th October, 7am NZT
Mohammed VI Football Academy (Pitch 3), Salé, Morocco
Argentina v New Zealand
Wednesday 21st October, 4am NZT
Mohammed VI Football Academy (Pitch 1), Salé, Morocco
New Zealand v Germany
Saturday 24th October, 7am NZT
Mohammed VI Football Academy (Pitch 3), Salé, Morocco
Samoa
The smallest nation ever to participate in a FIFA women’s tournament, Samoa return to Morocco in 2026 for their second consecutive FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup appearance, having made their debut at the competition last year.
Their inaugural campaign saw them score two goals on debut in a 2-4 defeat to former champions France, before losing their following two group stage matches to Canada and Nigeria in an early exit.
“Last year was a historic moment for our country and returning shows that this was not just a one-off achievement. We know the level required to compete at a World Cup, and we’re excited to take what we learned last year and challenge ourselves again,” says head coach Juan Chang Urrea.
Again, the challenge will be difficult this time around, with USA, China, and Kenya, their opponents in Group E, but they are hopeful of improving on last year’s performances a second time around.
“Last year’s tournament gave us a much clearer understanding of what it takes to compete at the highest level. We learned a lot about the speed of the game, the quality of decision-making required, and how important it is to stay composed and trust ourselves under pressure,” Urrea said.
Samoa qualified for the tournament with runners-up finish at OFC U-16 Women’s Championship 2025, defeating Solomon Islands 5-0 at the semi-final stage to book their return tickets to North Africa for another year.
Urrea has called up six players who participated in the tournament last year for their second World Cup experience. Both of their goalscorers in 2025, Jayde Elderedge and Makea Leonard, are part of that half-dozen.
“With Samoa reaching its second consecutive World Cup, we hope this journey continues to inspire more girls to get involved in football and shows them that they too can represent their country on the world stage.”
“We want this success to create lasting belief, open doors for the next generation, and continue building a strong future for women’s football in Samoa.”
Match Schedule
Samoa
USA v Samoa
Tuesday 20th October, 7am Samoa Time
Mohammed VI Football Academy (Pitch 3), Salé, Morocco
China v Samoa
Friday 23rd October, 4am Samoa Time
Mohammed VI Football Academy (Pitch 1), Salé, Morocco
Samoa v Kenya
Monday 26th October, 7am Samoa Time
Mohammed VI Football Academy (Pitch 4), Salé, Morocco
Photo credit: FIFA via Getty Images