Football Fern Katie Bowen returns for games in October. Photo: Shane Wenzlick / Phototek.nz
Experienced Football Ferns will return to the squad for games against Mexico and Olympic champions USA this month.
Twenty-four players have been named for the tour, with five changes from the side selected for the previous international window.
Durham FC's Hannah Blake, Wellington Phoenix's CJ Bott, Inter Milan's Katie Bowen, Eskilstuna United DFF's Gabi Rennie, and Crystal Palace's Indiah-Paige Riley are included, as head coach Michael Mayne continues to build competition and depth within the playing group.
"These are three challenging and exciting games, and we've selected a strong squad to continue building on what we've started this year," Mayne said.
"As we prepare for FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying in 2026, we always wanted to use the first half of the year to give opportunities to a wide range of players and to implement our new ways of working on and off the pitch.
"These games give us the chance to further develop that work, while also providing opportunities for other players to ensure we're in the best possible position to perform when qualifying comes around.
"This window will be challenging and will put our work this year to the test to see what we've built so far, where the next opportunities lie, and where some of the gaps remain.
"It's been a valuable period since the last international games, connecting with the wider squad about what we have coming up. There was real excitement from all of the players to be involved, and for those selected, I know they're really looking forward to the opportunity to test ourselves in Mexico and the USA."
The Football Ferns' first match against world No. 24 Mexico will be played on Friday, 24 October at 3pm NZT at Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes in Mexico City.
Three days later, the two sides will meet again at Estadio Olímpico Benito Juárez in Ciudad Juárez.
The Football Ferns will then travel to Missouri to take on the USA on Thursday, 30 October at 1pm in Kansas City.
Football Ferns squad for October window:
- Liz Anton (22 caps/0 goals) - Kolbotn IL, Norway
- Mackenzie Barry (20/1) - Wellington Phoenix FC, New Zealand
- Hannah Blake (7/0) - Durham FC, England
- CJ Bott (50/3) - Wellington Phoenix FC, New Zealand
- Katie Bowen (113/4) - Inter Milan, Italy
- Kelli Brown (4/0) - Newcastle Jets, Australia
- Claudia Bunge (35/0) - Melbourne Victory, Australia
- Milly Clegg (15/2) - Halifax Tides FC, Canada
- Manaia Elliott (3/0) - Wellington Phoenix FC, New Zealand
- Victoria Esson (28/0) - Wellington Phoenix FC, New Zealand
- Michaela Foster (25/1) - Durham FC, England
- Maya Hahn (4/1) - FC Viktoria Berlin, Germany
- Jacqui Hand (35/9) - Kolbotn IL, Norway
- Deven Jackson (2/0) - Melbourne City, Australia
- Katie Kitching (18/6) - Sunderland AFC, England
- Annalie Longo (140/15) - Auckland United, New Zealand
- Meikayla Moore (71/4) - Calgary Wild FC, Canada
- Grace Neville (13/0) - Ipswich Town, England
- Emma Pijnenburg (3/0) - Feyenoord Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Gabi Rennie (40/2) - Eskilstuna United DFF, Sweden
- Indiah-Paige Riley (29/3) - Crystal Palace, England
- Alina Santos (0/0) - University of Denver, USA
- Kate Taylor (25/2) - Dijon FCO, France
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