New Caledonia will have one eye on the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2026™ when they travel to Thailand for the inaugural women’s FIFA Series this weekend.
Having been away from the senior international scene for three years between the 2023 Pacific Games and Round 2 of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™ Oceania Qualifiers in February, New Caledonia will get the chance to compete in their second consecutive international window this April, with a youthful new look.
Of the 20 players in the matchday squad who secured New Caledonia’s spot at their first FIFA women’s event with a 2-0 victory over Fiji in the semi-finals of OFC U-19 Women’s Championship 2025 last year – 18 have been called up to the senior national team for the trip to Southeast Asia.
“In 2026 we are starting again with a very young team,” says New Caledonia’s U-20 women’s national team coach Léon Waitronyie. “80% of the senior squad is made up of U-20 players who helped us earn qualification for the U-20 Women’s World Cup.”
Whilst Waitronyie hasn’t taken over from Chrystelle Wahnwae as the senior head coach, he was the selector for the New Caledonian squad that will head to the FIFA Series.
Just like the men’s competition, the first edition of the women’s FIFA Series brings together national teams from all six confederations for international matches in a series of mini tournaments hosted around the globe.
New Caledonia will play hosts Thailand first, before either Indonesia or DR Congo in their second game, in the knockout tournament.
Currently ranked #52 in the world compared to New Caledonia’s standing of #101, Thailand have appeared at two previous FIFA Women’s World Cups™, in 2015 and 2019 and are former AFC Asian Women’s Cup champions in 1983.
The other two nations sit below New Caledonia on the FIFA Women’s World Rankings – Indonesia at #106, and DR Congo at #107.
The tournament will also mark the first time that the New Caledonia senior women’s national team has played an international fixture outside of Oceania, or against an opponent outside of OFC, creating a special slice of history for the Francophone nation.
“It’s about gaining an understanding of the international stage for us,” says Waitronyie.
“In Thailand, we’ll be playing a nation who have already experienced what it’s like to compete at a World Cup.”
During their recent FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™ qualifying campaign, they were eliminated in Round 2 following defeats to Papua New Guinea and Fiji.
Sandwiched in-between was a 2-1 victory over Vanuatu though, securing just New Caledonia’s third-ever win in a FIFA Women’s World Cup™ qualifier.
“Moving forward from those qualifiers, we have observed the importance of athletic conditioning, reducing technical errors at the individual level, maintaining a compact defensive block, and having good organisation and balance in attack.”
“The FIFA Series will be both an individual and collective evaluation ahead of the World Cup. We will assess our game plan and be able to draw lessons from the tournament.”
The full 24-team lineup for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2026™ will also be confirmed this month, after qualifiers conclude in Asia and Africa, giving New Caledonia clarity on who they may face in Poland in September.
The event will be New Caledonia’s first women’s FIFA tournament, a significant milestone for the development of women’s football in the nation.
Among the familiar names that secured their qualification and will be part of the senior squad for their FIFA Series campaign include goalkeeper Elizabeth Aben, defender Julia Hmae, midfielders Joceline Kourevi and Kheiméra Gondou, and striker Julia Honakoko.
Waitronyie will be keeping a close eye on how they respond to the pressures of the international stage in Thailand, ahead of the U-20 global finals in September.
Fixture Details
FIFA Series (Thailand)
Monday, April 13 (Sunday, April 12 local time)
New Caledonia v Thailand | 12:30am NCT (8:30pm local time)
Ratchaburi Stadium, Ratchaburi
Date and Time TBC
New Caledonia v Indonesia\DR Congo
Ratchaburi Stadium, Ratchaburi
Football fans can watch the action LIVE and FREE on FIFA+ HERE