Chelsea Women will play in New Zealand for the first time after the club confirmed a pre-season friendly against Auckland FC Women at Eden Park on Saturday, 8 August.
Chelsea announced the Auckland fixture as part of their 2026 pre-season tour, with Constant Contact presenting the trip. Sonia Bompastor’s side will then travel to Sydney to face the A-League Women All-Stars on Wednesday, 12 August.
The club said the Eden Park match will also make Chelsea the first Women’s Super League side to play a game in New Zealand.
Bompastor Gets Global Chelsea Women Test
For Chelsea, this is not just a summer fitness fixture.
Bompastor needs a clean preparation block before the new WSL campaign, with the squad moving through another important summer. ReadChelsea has already covered how Lucy Bronze’s contract extension gives Chelsea experience for the Stamford Bridge era, and this tour adds another layer to that wider reset.
The Auckland date gives Chelsea a chance to sharpen combinations, expose new players to a travelling fanbase and stretch the club’s women’s-football identity outside Europe.
Eden Park’s event listing describes Chelsea as former WSL champions and frames the match as part of the New Zealand International Football Festival. The venue also hosted nine matches during the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which gives the fixture a proper global stage.
After a summer of squad change and commercial growth, Chelsea now have a clear overseas benchmark before domestic pressure returns.
