After upsetting Norway in the tournament opener, co-hosts New Zealand have a chance to secure a spot in the knockout stage as they take on the Philippines in their second group-stage match of the 2023 Women's World Cup.
The Football Ferns stunned their European opponents a week ago with a mix of defensive solidity and a pestering attack that never stopped poking and prodding, securing all three points by protecting Hannah Wilkinson's 48th-minute winner.
A win in this match, then, would see them to six points, which would mathematically secure a spot in the knockout stage unless Norway beat Switzerland to leave New Zealand not yet out of reach.
The co-hosts will also know that goal differential could play a huge factor atop the table, and thus looking to potentially run up the score could be vital, but that will be a difficult ask given the defensive qualities of the opponent.
MORE: Live Blog: New Zealand vs Philippines
New Zealand vs Philippines match facts
- Date: Tuesday, July 25
- Kickoff Time: 1:30 a.m. ET / 6:30 a.m. BST / 3:30 p.m. AEST
- Location: Wellington Regional Stadium (Wellington, New Zealand)
- Official: Katia Garcia (MEX)
- Last meeting: New Zealand 2-1 Philippines (Sep. 6, 2022 | Friendly)
New Zealand vs Philippines prediction, odds
- Moneyline lean: New Zealand (-300)
- Handicap lean: New Zealand -1.5 (+100)
- Score prediction: New Zealand 2-0 Philippines
While the Philippines are not a team prone to being blown away, their inability to score goals is what will likely see New Zealand through to all three points here, as expected.
The Philippines are not believed to be real challengers in this match, but the game flow options reflect the expectation that they should at least keep it close.
| New Zealand win | Draw | Philippines win | Both teams to score Y / N | Over / Under 2.5 goals | NZ -1.5 | PHI +1.5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BetMGM (USA) | -300 | +380 | +900 | +170 / -250 | +105 / -145 | +100 | -140 |
| Sports Interaction (Canada) | 1.30 | 4.70 | 10.00 | 2.60 /1.38 | 2.08 / 1.70 | 2.00 | 1.76 |
| SkyBet (UK) | 1/3 | 18/5 | 17/2 | 6/4, 1/2 | 1/1, 8/11 | — | — |
| Unibet (Australia) | 1.36 | 4.75 | 9.50 | 2.65 / 1.46 | 2.10 / 1.70 | — | — |
| Dafabet (India) | 1.34 | 5.20 | 11.00 | 2.80 / 1.44 | 2.20 / 1.63 | 2.06 | 1.74 |
New Zealand vs Philippines: best bet
- Pick: Under 2.5 goals
- Odds: -145 (BetMGM)
The Philippines may be starved for goals up front, but they are defensively astute. The tiny island nation has conceded more than two goals just once in their past 28 matches, with a fluky 5-0 defeat to Iceland the only aberration across that 14-month span.
Otherwise, this Philippines team does not lose big. Considering that, the question is whether they can add goals of their own to inflate the scoreline, and that also feels unlikely. With the home fans behind them, New Zealand were defensively spectacular against Norway in the opener, and aside from a trio of heavy defeats to world No. 1 USA over the past few years, they also rarely concede high goal tallies to opponents.
Between two defensively strong sides, this match has all the makings of a tense, low-scoring affair, and captain Ali Riley will hope to take charge of another impressive defensive performance by the co-hosts.
New Zealand vs Philippines: prop bet
- Pick: Half with most goals — 2H
- Odds: +105 (BetMGM)
Each of these two teams were largely solid defensively in the first half on matchday one, with New Zealand grabbing the game's only goal against Norway in the 48th minute, and the Philippines making it to the stroke of halftime before conceding, and then again letting Switzerland through in the 64th minute.
The first half of matches this tournament have been cagey thus far, and that should again prove the case here with both sides looking to avoid conceding the all-important opener.
New Zealand vs Philippines live stream, TV channel
| TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | FS1, Universo | Fubo, Peacock, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Universo NOW, Fox Sports GO |
| UK | ITV 1, STV Scotland | ITVX, STV Player |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| Canada | TSN1, TSN4, TSN5, RDS | Fubo, TSN+, RDS app |
| India | DD Sports | FanCode |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport 1 NZ | Sky Sport NOW, Sky Go |
| Singapore | FIFA WWC CH01 | StarHub TV+, meWATCH |
| Hong Kong | Now TV | Viu TV |
