The Solomon Islands Women’s National Football Team is now in the final stages of preparation, with the final squad soon to be announced ahead of the OFC Women’s World Cup Qualifiers, which will kick off from February 24 to March 7 in Solomon Islands and Fiji.
The Daniel Barret–coached side is set to host Group B at the National Stadium, where they will face New Zealand, Samoa and round one winners American Samoa.
“We’ve got a bunch of girls here that are fully committed and are giving 100% every day towards our preparation.
“You can start to see what we’ve been working on in training coming to fruition in these games. So, it’s been good so far,” coach Barret said recently.
Coming off a disappointing campaign at the MSG Prime Ministers Cup in Papua New Guinea late last year, Barret said he still has tough decisions to make in finalising the squad for the qualifiers.
“Yeah, look, have not finalised things yet. Still looking at a few hard, tough decisions that we’re gonna have to make with the squad, more around making sure that we’ve got a nice squad that gives us many things and to solve problems in games, I guess.
“So, lots of flexibility. But yeah, we’ll look to finalise that very soon. But I’m very happy with the team and how they’re coming along,” he said.
Barret also expressed that the qualifiers mean everything to his players, given the hard work they are putting in.
Solomon Islands will open their campaign against American Samoa on February 27 at 5pm. They will then face world No. 35 New Zealand on March 2 before concluding their group-stage fixtures against Samoa on March 5.
The tournament winner will secure direct qualification to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, while the runner-up will progress to an intercontinental playoff for another chance to reach the global showpiece.
The 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be held in Brazil from June 24 to July 25, 2027, featuring 32 teams in the tournament’s 10th edition.
By TIMOTHY INIFIRI JNR
Solomon Star, Honiara
