Half a dozen Wellington Phoenix academy players have been named in New Zealand’s squad for next month’s OFC U-16 Women’s Championship in Tahiti.

Mackenzie Bryant, Alyssha Eglinton, Emily Humphrey, Brooke Neary, Angela Pivac and Holly Robins have been included in the Young Football Ferns for the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament.

Eglinton, Humphrey and Pivac have primarily been playing for the Phoenix academy’s under-17 team this year, while Bryant, Neary and Robins are members of the academy’s under-15 side.

New Zealand will play Cook Islands in their first of two group matches on Thursday, September 14 (Friday, September 15 NZT), before meeting Samoa on Sunday, September 17 (Monday, September 18 NZT).