The confirmation that the 2023 FIFA women’s World Cup will be hosted by Australia and New Zealand is like a breath of fresh air for soccer in the region.
Scheduled for July and August, the event will shift the focus of attention on to our region.
The fact that NZ are hosts means they have a direct entry.
This then opens up the door for a team from the Oceania region to be part of the much anticipated event.
To that end, it basically means we have an opportunity to qualify over our regional neighbours.
This is why the governing Fiji Football Association plans to identify elite players based overseas who would be eligible to represent Fiji at the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) qualifying tournament.
FIFA has allocated OFC one spot at every Women’s World Cup since its inception in 1991, however, this has always been filled by Australia and New Zealand.
Fiji FA chief executive officer Mohammed Yusuf confirmed the search for potential players with Fijian heritage competing in top level competitions abroad.
Equal opportunities, he said, would be given to both local and overseas-based players to vie for a spot in the national team.
The aim though was to assemble the best prepared team to try to win the regional qualifiers and gain a historic slot at the World Cup.
Without a doubt, we have a massive opportunity before us to be part of history.
We have time on our side and the challenge is now on the powers that be and the national coach to put the processes and systems in place to ensure we are well prepared come 2023.
This is one moment in time that we have a chance to compete at the highest level of international soccer.
Given the calibre of competition, players, and standards at the event, our women have a chance to test their skills and talents against the best.
This is an opportunity for our young women to participate at the highest platform of the game. They have something to look forward to and target.
Fiji was ranked 66 as of June 26 in the FIFA World Women’s Ranking.
In the OFC, NZ is ranked the highest at 23, followed by Papua New Guinea on 46, followed by Fiji.
Tonga are on 88, New Caledonia sits on 96, Tahiti are on 102 position, the Cook Islands on 103, Samoa on 107, the Solomons on 114, Vanuatu on 117 and American Samoa on 133.
So based on the rankings, our biggest challenge would have to be PNG.
But then again, soccer is an interesting sport, and the tide can turn any time.
As COVID-19 restrictions are eased slowly around the country, the Fiji FA now has the major task of identifying, and grooming our top women soccer players for the qualifying competition.
Exciting times are certainly ahead for our women.
