PNGFA to bid to host Women’s World Cup qualifiers

Sports

By PATRICIA KEAMO
PAPUA New Guinea Football Association (PNGFA) president John Kapi Natto says the sport’s national governing body will bid to host the Women’s World Cup qualifiers in Port Moresby next June.
“We hope that we will put forward a good proposal to the state controller and win the bid to bring the 10 national teams to Port Moresby,” he said during the National Soccer League season launch last week.
“Other countries can’t host teams because of coronavirus (covid-19) restrictions.
“PNGFA will bid for the Women’s World Cup qualifiers to be played in Port Moresby early next year.
“Our women’s team are on the verge of going to the World Cup and we are hoping that this becomes a reality.”
Kapi Natto said the new Women’s National Soccer League (WNSL) season would kick off in September ahead of the 2022 qualifiers and 2023 World Cup which would be hosted in Australia and New Zealand.
He said the national men’s team would travel to Qatar to compete in the World Cup qualifiers in January and February next year.
“Our national team and other national teams can’t travel to Fiji and New Zealand because of the Covid-19 travel restrictions,” Kapi Natto said.
“So all the men’s team are travelling to Qatar for the qualifiers.”
Meanwhile, no updates have been made by PNGFA on the final selection of the national men’s and women’s train-on-squads.