New Zealand women's national under-20 football team

The New Zealand women's Under-20 Football Team, informally known as the 'Junior Football Ferns', is the representative team for New Zealand in international Under-20 football.^[1][2][3]

New Zealand Women's U-20

Nickname(s)	Junior Football Ferns
Association	New Zealand Football
Confederation	OFC (Oceania)
Head coach	Leon Birnie
Most caps	Emma Rolston (26)
Top scorer	Emma Rolston (32)
FIFA code	NZL
First colours Second colours
First international
New Zealand 0–2 Australia  (New Plymouth, New Zealand; 31 March 1994)
Biggest win
New Zealand 30–0 Samoa  (Rarotonga, Cook Islands; 31 August 2019)
Biggest defeat
Japan 7–0 New Zealand  (Bogota, Colombia; 2 September 2024)
OFC U-20 Women's Championship
Appearances	7 (first in 2002)
Best result	Champions (2006, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017)
FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
Appearances	8 (first in 2006)
Best result	Quarter-finals (2014)

History

Fixtures and results

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2022

Australia  v  New Zealand

6 April 2022 Friendly	Australia	5–1	New Zealand	Canberra
18:30 UTC+10	Santos 2' Hunter 21' (pen.) Galic 39' Johnson 55' Gallagher 57'	Report	Lancaster 44'	Stadium: Deakin Stadium Referee: Anna-Marie Keighley (New Zealand)

Australia  v  New Zealand

10 April 2022 Friendly	Australia	1–1	New Zealand	Canberra
14:00 UTC+10	Hunter 10'	Report	Clegg 38'	Stadium: Viking Stadium Referee: Georgia Ghirardello (Australia)

New Zealand  v  Australia

12 June 2022 Friendly	New Zealand	2–1	Australia	Auckland
14:00 UTC+12	Dugan 53' Taylor 79' (pen.)	Report	Galic 2'	Stadium: Kiwitea Street Referee: Beth Rattray (New Zealand)

New Zealand  v  Australia

15 June 2022 Friendly	New Zealand	0–1	Australia	Auckland
--:-- UTC+12		Source

New Zealand  v  Mexico

10 August 2022 (2022-08-10) 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup GS	New Zealand	1–1	Mexico	Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, Alajuela
14:00 CST (UTC–6)	Cazares 31' (o.g.)	Report (FIFA)	Vázquez 45'	Attendance: 1,007 Referee: Kim Yu-jeong (South Korea)

Germany  v  New Zealand

13 August 2022 (2022-08-13) 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup GS	Germany	3–0	New Zealand	Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, Alajuela
11:00 CST (UTC–6)	Fröhlich 58' Weidauer 64' (pen.) Corley 90+4'	Report (FIFA)		Attendance: 1,391 Referee: Vincentia Amedome (Togo)

Colombia  v  New Zealand

16 August 2022 (2022-08-16) 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup GS	Colombia	2–2	New Zealand	Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San José
17:00 CST (UTC–6)	Caicedo 10', 63'	Report (FIFA)	Clegg 3' Lancaster 71'	Attendance: 3,378 Referee: Tori Penso (United States)

Coaching staff

Position	Name
Head coach	Leon Birnie

Current squad

The following players were named to the squad for the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.^[4][5]

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Club
1	1GK	Brianna Edwards	(2003-01-27) 27 January 2003 (age 22)	Wellington Phoenix
2	2DF	Zoe McMeeken	(2004-03-11) 11 March 2004 (age 21)	Wellington Phoenix
3	2DF	Kate Taylor (captain)	(2003-10-21) 21 October 2003 (age 21)	Wellington Phoenix
4	2DF	Te Reremoana Walker	(2003-11-06) 6 November 2003 (age 21)	Wellington Phoenix
5	2DF	Marisa van der Meer	(2002-03-27) 27 March 2002 (age 23)	Wellington Phoenix
6	3MF	Aniela Jensen	(2002-01-22) 22 January 2002 (age 23)	Pacific Tigers
7	4FW	Tupelo Dugan	(2002-10-20) 20 October 2002 (age 22)	Arizona State Sun Devils
8	3MF	Grace Wisnewski	(2002-06-28) 28 June 2002 (age 23)	Wellington Phoenix
9	4FW	Ava Pritchard	(2003-03-21) 21 March 2003 (age 22)	Wellington Phoenix
10	3MF	Alyssa Whinham	(2003-10-26) 26 October 2003 (age 21)	Wellington Phoenix
11	2DF	Charlotte Lancaster	(2003-11-08) 8 November 2003 (age 21)	Wellington Phoenix
12	4FW	Ava Collins	(2002-04-18) 18 April 2002 (age 23)	St. John's Red Storm
13	3MF	Emma Pijnenburg	(2004-09-13) 13 September 2004 (age 20)	Western Springs
14	4FW	Milly Clegg	(2005-11-01) 1 November 2005 (age 19)	Wellington Phoenix
15	3MF	Charlotte Wilford-Carroll	(2002-05-23) 23 May 2002 (age 23)	Eastern Suburbs
16	4FW	Ruby Nathan	(2005-10-11) 11 October 2005 (age 19)	Auckland United
17	3MF	Ella Findlay	(2004-02-03) 3 February 2004 (age 21)	Eastern Suburbs
18	1GK	Murphy Sheaff	(2003-09-12) 12 September 2003 (age 21)	Jacksonville Dolphins
19	3MF	Macey Fraser	(2002-07-11) 11 July 2002 (age 23)	Wellington Phoenix Academy
20	2DF	Jana Niedermayr	(2003-02-16) 16 February 2003 (age 22)	Eastern Suburbs
21	1GK	Rylee Godbold	(2003-06-27) 27 June 2003 (age 22)	Unattached

Competitive record

OFC U-20 Women's Championship

OFC U-19 Women's Championship record
Year	Round	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2002	Runners-up	5	4	0	1	35	6
2004	Did not enter
2006	Champions	5	5	0	0	33	1
2010	Champions	3	3	0	0	27	0
2012	Champions	3	3	0	0	28	1
2014	Champions	3	3	0	0	18	1
2015	Champions	4	4	0	0	69	0
2017	Champions	5	5	0	0	48	1
2019	Champions	5	5	0	0	63	2
2023	Champions	5	5	0	0	45	0
2025	Qualifield
Total	8 Titles	38	37	0	1	366	12

FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup

FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup record
Year	Host	Round	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
2002	Canada	Did not qualify
2004	Thailand	Did not enter
2006	Russia	Group stage	3	0	1	2	2	6	Squad
2008	Chile		3	1	1	1	7	7	Squad
2010	Germany		3	0	0	3	3	8	Squad
2012	Japan		3	1	1	1	4	7	Squad
2014	Canada	Quarter-finals	4	2	0	2	6	8	Squad
2016	Papua New Guinea	Group stage	3	1	0	2	2	5	Squad
2018	France		3	0	1	2	1	3	Squad
2022	Costa Rica		3	0	2	1	3	6	Squad
2024	Colombia		3	0	0	3	2	13	Squad
2026	Poland	To be determined
Total		Quarter-finals	28	5	6	17	30	63	–

FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup match history

2006

New Zealand  v  Australia

17 August 2006 Group stage	New Zealand	0–3	Australia	Petrovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg
		Report	McCallum 39', 80' Shipard 90+3'	Attendance: 1100 Referee: Gyoengyi Gaal

Russia  v  New Zealand

20 August 2006 Group stage	Russia	3–2	New Zealand	Petrovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg
	Kozhnikova 5' Terekhova 14' Akimova 93'	Report	Erceg 18' Humphries 56'	Attendance: 3400 Referee: Hong Eun-Ah

Brazil  v  New Zealand

23 August 2006 Group stage	Brazil	0–0	New Zealand	Podmoskovie Stadium, Shchyolkovo
		Report		Attendance: 500 Referee: Shane De Silva

2008

New Zealand  v  Nigeria

19 November 2008 Group stage	New Zealand	2–3	Nigeria	Francisco Sánchez Rumoroso Stadium, Coquimbo
15:00	Percival 42', 52'	Report	Michael 31' Chukwudi 35' Chikwelu 90+2'	Referee: Tanja Schett

Chile  v  New Zealand

22 November 2008 Group stage	Chile	3–4	New Zealand	Francisco Sánchez Rumoroso Stadium, Coquimbo
21:00	Mardones 50' Pardo 83' Zamora 90+2'	Report	White 20', 36' (pen.) Leota 66'	Attendance: 16,324 Referee: Érika Vargas

England  v  New Zealand

26 November 2008 Group stage	England	1–1	New Zealand	La Florida Stadium, La Florida
19:00	Duggan 90+4'	Report	McLaughlin 27'	Attendance: 8,661 Referee: Sachiko Baba

2010

Sweden  v  New Zealand

13 July 2010 Group stage	Sweden	2–1	New Zealand	Bielefelder Alm, Bielefeld
14:30	Görranson 56', 67'	Report	Wilkinson 33'	Attendance: 10,065 Referee: Carol Anne Chenard (Canada)

North Korea  v  New Zealand

16 July 2010 Group stage	North Korea	2–1	New Zealand	Bielefelder Alm, Bielefeld
18:00	Yun Hyon-Hi 12' Kim Un-Hyang 65' (pen.)	Report	Armstrong 90'	Attendance: 6,630 Referee: Mercy Tagoe (Ghana)

New Zealand  v  Brazil

20 July 2010 Group stage	New Zealand	1–4	Brazil	Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion, Dresden
14:30	White 89'	Report	Ludmila 25' Leah 59' Débora 87', 90'	Attendance: 12,863 Referee: Dagmar Damkova (Czech Republic)

2012

New Zealand  v   Switzerland

19 August 2012 Group stage	New Zealand	2–1	Switzerland	Miyagi Stadium, Miyagi
16:20	Millynn 39' White 52'	Report	Aigbogun 90+1'	Attendance: 9,542 Referee: Abirami Apbai (Singapore)

Japan  v  New Zealand

22 August 2012 Group stage	Japan	2–2	New Zealand	Miyagi Stadium, Miyagi
19:20	Tanaka 37' Michigami 71'	Report	Nakada 11' (o.g.) White 15'	Attendance: 9,061 Referee: Silvia Spinelli (Italy)

Mexico  v  New Zealand

26 August 2012 Group stage	Mexico	4–0	New Zealand	Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium, Kobe
19:20	Sofia Huerta 47' Natalia Gomez Junco 74' Yamile Franco 85' Olivia Jimenez 87'	Report		Referee: Teodora Albon (Romania)

2014

New Zealand  v  Paraguay

6 August 2014 Group stage	New Zealand	2–0	Paraguay	Olympic Stadium, Montreal
4:20	Rolston 40' Skilton 43'	Report		Attendance: 4,812 Referee: Kateryna Monzul (Ukraine)

New Zealand  v  France

9 August 2014 Group stage	New Zealand	0–4	France	Olympic Stadium, Montreal
5:00		Report	Diani 22' Lavogez 53' Le Bihan 80', 82'	Attendance: 6,844 Referee: Therese Sagno (Guinean)

Costa Rica  v  New Zealand

13 August 2014 Group stage	Costa Rica	0–3	New Zealand	National Soccer Stadium, Toronto
5:00		Report	Skilton 24' Lee 69' O'Brien 90+4'	Attendance: 6,914 Referee: Kiris Heikkinen (Finland)

Nigeria  v  New Zealand

17 August 2014 Quarter-finals	Nigeria	4–1	New Zealand	National Soccer Stadium, Toronto
5:00	Oshoala 1', 12' Sunday 84', 90+'	Report	Rolston 89'	Attendance: 3,588 Referee: Sachiko Yamagishi (Japan)

2016

Ghana  v  New Zealand

14 November 2016 Group stage	Ghana	0–1	New Zealand	PNG Football Stadium, Port Moresby
19:00		Report	Christensen 89'	Attendance: 2,877 Referee: Monika Mularczyk (Poland)

New Zealand  v  United States

17 November 2016 Group stage	New Zealand	1–3	United States	PNG Football Stadium, Port Moresby
19:00	Coombes 76'	Report	Sanchez 3' Pugh 8' Watt 82'	Attendance: 2,399 Referee: Thérèse Neguel (Cameroon)

New Zealand  v  France

21 November 2016 Group stage	New Zealand	0–2	France	Bava Park, Port Moresby
16:00		Report	Léger 17' Mateo 47'	Attendance: 995 Referee: Silvia Reyes (Peru)

2018

New Zealand  v  Netherlands

5 August 2018 (2018-08-05) Group stage	New Zealand	1–2	Netherlands	Stade de la Rabine, Vannes
16:30	Blake 44'	Report	Kalma 28' Van Deursen 78'	Attendance: 2,042[6] Referee: Jana Adámková (Czech Republic)

France  v  New Zealand

8 August 2018 (2018-08-08) Group stage	France	0–0	New Zealand	Stade de la Rabine, Vannes
19:30		Report		Attendance: 5,031[7] Referee: Lidya Tafesse Abebe (Ethiopia)

Ghana  v  New Zealand

12 August 2018 (2018-08-12) Group stage	Ghana	1–0	New Zealand	Stade Guy Piriou, Concarneau
16:30	Anima 75'	Report		Attendance: 1,056[8] Referee: Edina Alves Batista (Brazil)

2022

New Zealand  v  Mexico

10 August 2022 (2022-08-10) Group stage	New Zealand	1–1	Mexico	Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, Alajuela
14:00	Cazares 31' (o.g.)	Report	Vázquez 45'	Attendance: 1,007 Referee: Kim Yu-jeong (South Korea)

Germany  v  New Zealand

13 August 2022 (2022-08-13) 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup GS	Germany	3–0	New Zealand	Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, Alajuela
11:00 CST (UTC–6)	Fröhlich 58' Weidauer 64' (pen.) Corley 90+4'	Report (FIFA)		Attendance: 1,391 Referee: Vincentia Amedome (Togo)

Colombia  v  New Zealand

16 August 2022 (2022-08-16) 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup GS	Colombia	2–2	New Zealand	Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San José
17:00 CST (UTC–6)	Caicedo 10', 63'	Report (FIFA)	Clegg 3' Lancaster 71'	Attendance: 3,378 Referee: Tori Penso (United States)