PAPUA New Guinea Football Association President, John Kapi Natto, has confirmed that PNG will be one of four countries hosting the group stage matches for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 26 Qualifiers in the Oceania zone.
The other host nations include Vanuatu, Fiji, and New Zealand.
• New Zealand will host both semi-finals matches and the final in March to determine which team qualifies directly for the FIFA World Cup 26™.
• Vanuatu, Fiji, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea will host match days three, four, and five.
Kapi Natto made this announcement during a recent media conference in Port Moresby, where he also introduced the new Head Coach, Felipe. The coach’s first major task will be to prepare the team for the World Cup qualifiers later this year.
After the first round of qualifying in Samoa in September, which will feature the hosts alongside Cook Islands, American Samoa, and Tonga, match day three in October will be hosted at HFC Bank Stadium in Suva, Fiji, and VFF Freshwater Stadium in Port Vila, Vanuatu.
Group A fixtures are set to take place in Suva, Fiji, at HFC Bank Stadium on Thursday, October 10, with Solomon Islands playing Fiji and New Caledonia facing Papua New Guinea.
Group B fixtures will be held in Port Vila on Friday, October 11, at VFF Freshwater Stadium, where New Zealand will play Tahiti, followed by Vanuatu meeting the winner of Round One on Saturday, October 12.
Match days four and five will occur during the November FIFA international window, with games at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton and Auckland, New Zealand, as well as PNG Football Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
In Port Moresby, Group A matches will see Solomon Islands take on New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea face Fiji on Thursday, November 14. The final round of group fixtures will see Fiji meet New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea play Solomon Islands on Sunday, November 17.
In Group B, the winner of Round One will face Tahiti, while New Zealand will play Vanuatu at Waikato Stadium on Friday, November 15. The final group matches will be held on Monday, November 18, when Tahiti faces Vanuatu and New Zealand plays the winner of Round One in Auckland.
Match days six and seven, including the semi-finals and final, will be held in New Zealand in March. The Group A winner will meet the Group B runner-up, and the Group B winner will face the Group A runner-up. The final match will determine which country qualifies directly for the FIFA World Cup 26™ and which team will advance to the FIFA Intercontinental Playoff Tournament.
