Ford Football Ferns Squad to Face Mexico and USA Announced

The Ford Football Ferns squad to play two games against Mexico (FIFA rank 29) and one against Olympic champions the USA (FIFA rank 2) this month has been confirmed.

Twenty-four players have been named for the tour, with six changes from the side selected for the previous international window which saw the team record a win and a loss against Venezuela.

Joining the squad are Wellington Phoenix's Mackenzie Barry, Durham FC’s Hannah Blake, Wellington Phoenix’s CJ Bott, Inter Milan’s Katie Bowen, Eskilstuna United DFF’s Gabi Rennie, and Crystal Palace’s Indiah-Paige Riley, as head coach Michael Mayne continues to build competition and depth within the playing group.

The full 24-player squad is:

Liz Anton (22 caps/0 goals) Kolbotn IL, Norway

Mackenzie Barry (20/1) Wellington Phoenix FC, New Zealand

Hannah Blake (7/0) Durham FC, England

CJ Bott (50/3) Wellington Phoenix FC, New Zealand

Katie Bowen (113/4) Inter Milan, Italy

Kelli Brown (4/0) Newcastle Jets, Australia

Claudia Bunge (35/0) Melbourne Victory, Australia

Milly Clegg (15/2) Halifax Tides FC, Canada

Manaia Elliott (3/0) Wellington Phoenix FC, New Zealand

Victoria Esson (28/0) Wellington Phoenix FC, New Zealand

Michaela Foster (25/1) Durham FC, England

Maya Hahn (4/1) FC Viktoria Berlin, Germany

Jacqui Hand (35/9) Kolbotn IL, Norway

Deven Jackson (2/0) Melbourne City, Australia

Katie Kitching (18/6) Sunderland AFC, England

Annalie Longo (140/15) Auckland United, New Zealand

Meikayla Moore (71/4) Calgary Wild FC, Canada

Grace Neville (13/0) Ipswich Town, England

Emma Pijnenburg (3/0) Feyenoord Rotterdam, Netherlands

Gabi Rennie (40/2) Eskilstuna United DFF, Sweden

Indiah-Paige Riley (29/3) Crystal Palace, England

Alina Santos (0/0) University of Denver, USA

Kate Taylor (25/2) Dijon FCO, France

Grace Wisnewski (3/0) FC Nordsjælland, Denmark

“These are three challenging and exciting games, and we’ve selected a strong squad to continue building on what we’ve started this year,” says head coach Michael Mayne.

“As we prepare for FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifying in 2026, we always wanted to use the first half of the year to give opportunities to a wide range of players and to implement our new ways of working on and off the pitch.

“These games give us the chance to further develop that work, while also providing opportunities for other players to ensure we’re in the best possible position to perform when qualifying comes around.

“This window will be challenging and will put our work this year to the test to see what we’ve built so far, where the next opportunities lie, and where some of the gaps remain.

“It’s been a valuable period since the last international games, connecting with the wider squad about what we have coming up. There was real excitement from all of the players to be involved, and for those selected, I know they’re really looking forward to the opportunity to test ourselves in Mexico and the USA.”

The Ford Football Ferns’ first match against Mexico will be played on Friday 24 October at 3pm NZT (Thursday 23 October at 8pm local time) at Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes in Mexico City.

Three days later, the two sides will meet again on Monday 27 October at 12pm NZT (Sunday 26 October at 5pm local time) at Estadio Olímpico Benito Juárez in Ciudad Juárez.

The Ford Football Ferns will then travel to Missouri to take on the USA on Thursday 30 October at 1pm NZT (Wednesday 29 October at 7pm local time) at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City.

All three games will be live and free in Aotearoa New Zealand on FIFA+.

Article added: Tuesday 07 October 2025

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