On Sunday, New Zealand’s hopes in the ongoing FIFA Women’s World Cup were dashed after they played to a 0-0 draw against Switzerland. Despite their valiant efforts, the co-hosts were eliminated from the tournament based on goal difference. Switzerland, on the other hand, secured their spot in the last 16 as Group A winners.
This unfortunate outcome made New Zealand the first Women’s World Cup hosts to exit the competition in the group stage. Norway, who had a convincing 6-0 victory over the Philippines in another Group A match in Auckland, tied with New Zealand on four points but secured the second spot due to a superior goal difference.
New Zealand had an impressive start to the tournament, stunning Norway in their opening match, but suffered a setback with a loss to the Philippines in their second game.
Despite the support of a near-capacity crowd of 25,947 at the indoor Dunedin Stadium, New Zealand couldn’t find the crucial goal they needed to advance further.
Switzerland and Norway, as Group A winners and runners-up respectively, will now face either Spain or Japan, who will play their Group C decider on Monday, in the round of 16.
The current edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup includes 64 matches and stands as the first tournament to have two host nations — New Zealand and Australia.
The group stage follows a round-robin format, with each of the 32 teams playing three matches. The top two teams from each group will progress to the round of 16, with the knockout rounds beginning on August 5 and the final scheduled for Sunday, August 20 at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
The remaining group stage matches are eagerly anticipated, with several exciting encounters lined up to determine the teams that will advance to the knockout rounds.
