Uefa teams have packed schedules, with World Cup qualifying, European Championships qualifying and (recently) Nations League matches. That has obviously been out of reach but the Fifa series changes the equation, as the costs are shared by the world governing body. “There’s a possibility we’ll see a Uefa nation travel down to play in this series, which will be phenomenal,” NZF chief executive Andrew Pragnell told the Herald. “[Generally] when we are trying to arrange matches one of the real challenges with our geography is bringing a Uefa nation down to New Zealand. New Zealand took part in the inaugural series in 2024, playing a pilot event in Egypt alongside Croatia, Tunisia and the host nation.

Source: New Zealand Herald December 23, 2025 20:32 UTC