Ferns squad must be named soon. Their first game is 7th Feb verus Tonga. An understrength squad with tourney outside FIFA Womens window (7th-19th Feb)?
https://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc-womens-olympic-football-tournament-oceania-qualifier/Heavily reliant on ALW players, supplanted by some US College players (Ava Collins & Aniela Jensen)? I guess those in the Scandi leagues like Hassett,
Steinmetz, Cleverley, Bunge etc will also be out of season, and likely available. Plus Riley in the US.
Will still be more than strong enough to win the tourney. Island nations remain very weak in the womens game. Samoa, Fiji & PNG likely toughest opponents. The heat & humidity will be the biggest challenge.
Might be some players coming & going. Likes of Wilkinson & Stott not released by their ALW clubs until the knockout games?? No quarters. 3 pool games (Tonga, Samoa & Vanuatu) then semi & final. Aston Villa may even let Leat turn up if she is mostly riding the pine in the UK, though it's a long way to sweltering Samoa to basically do nothing.
Possible first choice XI -
Edwards/Leat, Riley, Stott, Bunge, Foster, Steinmetz, Longo, Cleverley, Hassett, Jale, Wilkinson
Plenty of other young Kiwis through the ALW to flesh out a squad
Georgia Candy, Lake, Barry, Anton, McMeeken, Taylor, Whinham, Fraser, Nathan, Elliott, Main, Devon Jackson, Rosetta Taylor & Hannah Blake (both at Adelaide)
Few new caps likely. Klimkova will be challenging Hudson for players used during her reign!