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Egpyt and Mohamed Salah could be among the All Whites’ opponents at the W Cup in the United Arab Emirates in March. (File photo).
The All Whites could find themselves facing Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah at a four-team international tournament in March in the United Arab Emirates.
New Zealand Football has confirmed the All Whites – ranked 104th in the world – will kickoff “a big 2024” by taking part in the quadrangular tournament in the United Arab Emirates with Croatia (FIFA rank 10), Egypt (33) and Tunisia (28).
The tournament, the W Cup, will take place in UAE from March 22 2024 (local time) with each team set to play two games, an opening match and then either the final on March 26 or the third-place play-off on March 25.
Salah is currently with Egypt for the African Cup of Nations tournament, hosted by the Ivory Coast and due to kick off on Saturday (Sunday NZ time).
The W Cup will be played in an official FIFA window, meaning clubs are required to release their players.
Croatia are captained by 2018 Ballon d’Or (world player of the year) winner Luka Modric, a Real Madrid midfielder.
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The All Whites were beaten 2-0 by Greece in an international friendly in Athens.
The All Whites have never played Croatia – World Cup runners-up in 2018 and bronze medallists in 1998 and 2022 – and it could potentially be their first appearance against Egypt and Tunisia too.
The draw for the cup will be made shortly as well as an announcement on further competition details including match locations, kick-off times and tournament sponsors.
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Chris Wood, in action against the Socceroos in Auckland in 2022, is set to captain the All Whites at the W Cup in March.
All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley sees the tournament as a perfect start to a big year of football for his side.
“The focus for the team this year is FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers, but should we get there, tournament experience against higher ranked teams will be critical.
“To start 2024 with games against some of the top sides in the world, in a tournament environment, is a great opportunity to continue to test and learn about ourselves playing against opposition of this level.
“We ended 2023 with a great performance and I know the whole squad can’t wait to get going in 2024.”
Games from the tournament will be broadcast live and free in Aotearoa New Zealand on FIFA Plus.
The All Whites’ last appearances were in November when they lost 2-0 to Greece and drew 1-1 with the Republic of Ireland in Dublin after a goal by Matt Garbett.
