Papua New Guinea confirmed as hosts of FIFA under-20 Women's World Cup despite venue concerns

Port Moresby will stage all matches at next year's tournament ©Justin Tkatchenko/Facebook

Papua New Guinea has been officially confirmed as the host of the 2016 FIFA under-20 Women’s World Cup after world football’s governing body agreed to let the Pacific nation host all matches in capital city Port Moresby.

There were concerns that the country may be stripped of the event due to sub-standard facilities outside of the capital, but the Papua New Guinea Football Association (PNGFA) addressed FIFA’s fears and have now been given the go-ahead to stage next year’s tournament.

FIFA had given the PNGFA a month to make necessary improvements to their plan or risk losing the hosting rights for the event.

In their original proposal, the PNGFA vowed to utilise venues in the nation’s other provinces but these plans have been abandoned, with the governing body’s vice-president Linda Wonuhali admitting there were too many hurdles to clear if FIFA’s demands were to be met.

A dossier detailing the changes requested was submitted before a deadline of October 15 and Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) President David Chung delivered a copy to FIFA’s Executive Committee meeting in Zurich this week.

The existing Sir John Guise Stadium, which was one of the main venues used for the Pacific Games in July, will undergo renovations to bring it up to FIFA’s standards.

The Sir Hubert Murray Stadium, which played host to the men’s and women’s Olympic qualifying final at the Pacific Games and came under criticism for a poor playing surface, will also be used, as will the National Football Stadium, due to be completed by the summer of next year.

The last of the four venues will be a 5,000-capacity “pop-up” stadium, located at Bisini Sports Complex, the PNGFA has confirmed.

“On the back of the Pacific Games we have an opportunity to build on a legacy that will help attract more world class events to the country,” Chung said.

“The cooperation between all stakeholders shows the pride we have as a nation to show the world we can host these events.

“Papua New Guinea is truly positioning itself as the sporting hub of the Pacific.”

The Sir John Guise Stadium will host matches at next year's FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup — The Sir John Guise Stadium will host matches at next year's FIFA under-20 Women's World Cup ©Justin Tkatchenko/Facebook

Chung also revealed Papua New Guinea will host the OFC Nations Cup, a quadrennial tournament most recently won in 2012 by Tahiti, the first time either Australia or New Zealand hadn’t lifted the trophy, in 2016 after it was the only country to submit a bid.

The announcements mark another step forward for a country which is continually trying to establish itself as a major player in the sporting world and follows Port Moresby being awarded three 2017 Rugby League World Cup matches, all of which will feature Papua New Guinea, with the tournament being officially co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

“The Nations Cup will provide us with a platform to test the various concepts of operations we are proposing so that when the FIFA Women’s under-20 World Cup arrives our fields and our people will be ready," added Chung.

“Our mission is to inspire and to excel, not only for Papua New Guineans, but for other nations to see that it can be done."

The FIFA under-20 Women’s World Cup will take place in November 2016 and will feature 16 teams from across the globe.