Play-off venues confirmed

The dates and venues have been locked in for OFC Stage 2 of the Women’s Olympic Football Qualifiers as Papua New Guinea and New Zealand get set to challenge for the lone berth for Oceania at Rio 2016.


New Zealand made the semi-finals at the 2012 Olympic Games.
Credit: FIFA via Getty Images

The first leg of the Olympic Play-Off will get underway at the PNGFA Academy pitch in Lae, Papua New Guinea on 23 January, with kick-off at 2pm (local).

The two teams will head to New Zealand for the second leg encounter which is scheduled for a 7.30pm (local) kick-off at QBE Stadium on 26 January.

Papua New Guinea qualified for the Olympic Play-Off during Stage 1 which was held alongside the XV Pacific Games in July.

Fiji, Solomon Islands and Tonga were knocked out in the group stage, while losses in their respective semi-finals meant Samoa and Cook Islands were also eliminated from contention.

By virtue of their world ranking, New Zealand is seeded through to Stage 2 where they meet the winner of Stage 1 in a two leg home-and-away play-off.

History leans favourably towards the Football Ferns who are the two-time defending champions having toppled Papua New Guinea in both 2008 and 2012.

After 8-0 and 7-0 victories during the play-off in 2012 New Zealand went on to perform outstandingly at the London Olympics, making it to the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games Women’s Football Tournament for the first time.



Updated On Thursday, January 14, 2016