Football: Qatar bankroll warm-up clash

Matt Ridenton, Andre de Jong and Alex Rufer. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Qatar are funding their own pre-tournament tournament, as preparations for the Under-20 World Cup get into full swing next month.

The event starts on May 30 but up to 10 teams will descend on Auckland over the next two weeks, as world-class football hits the parks and suburbs of the city in an unprecedented way.

Millions of dollars of talent will be on display at modest venues around the city and there is even talk of Uruguay — whose senior side has twice won the World Cup — playing a game on Waiheke Island.

But Qatar are the best illustration of the scale of this event, and the lengths teams will go to ensure success.

The Herald on Sunday understands the Middle East nation are paying for Australia, Ghana and Panama to come here and compete in the Five Nations Series.

Ghana and Panama are part of the World Cup but are now arriving earlier than they otherwise would, while Australia is putting together a scratch team to send across the Tasman — Australia failed to qualify for the World Cup.

The upcoming Under-20 World Cup is important for Qatar on many levels. Their squad should form the basis of their senior team for the 2022 World Cup, when they will be a host nation desperate to impress.

Qatar also need a solid performance to enhance their credibility as a footballing nation, as controversy still simmers over their World Cup bid and worthiness to host the tournament. And the event is their first appearance at a Under-20 World Cup since 1995, when they hosted the event but scored only one goal in three games (one draw, two defeats).

Aside from the teams involved in the Five Nations Series, Austria, Honduras, the United States and Ukraine will also be playing warm-up matches in Auckland in the next month. It's a mini fiesta before the festival; an appetising entree ahead of the main course.

Consider the prospects.

Austria, who can boast a player contracted to Manchester City, and Serbia will play a match at Bruce Pulman Park in Papakura, with the two teams to also hold training camps there in the lead-up to the tournament. Football fans out west will be able to see the US football machine up close, as Tab Ramos brings his team to Trusts Arena from May 21-25, with the possibility of some practice matches. And Hibiscus Coast AFC will host South American giants Uruguay at their Stanmore Bay ground between May 18 and 25.

Other suburban fields like Madills Farm, Seddon Fields and Bill McKinlay Park could also host games or teams. And on May 21, New Zealand will play Honduras in Warkworth, surely the biggest game ever hosted by the small town north of Auckland. There is also the possibility of a international match on Waiheke Island, with Uruguay and Ukraine invited to play there.

Five Nations Series

May 3: New Zealand v Australia, QBE Stadium, 7pm
May 4: Qatar v Ghana, QBE Stadium, 1pm
May 7: Qatar v Australia, QBE Stadium, 4pm
May 7: New Zealand v Panama, QBE Stadium, 7pm
May 10: Panama v Australia, Waikato Stadium, 1pm
May 10: New Zealand v Qatar, Waikato Stadium, 4pm
May 10: Ghana v NZ Invitation XI, Waikato Stadium, kickoff TBC
May 13: Qatar v Panama, Waikato Stadium, 1pm
May 13: Ghana v Australia, Waikato Stadium, 4pm

Additional international matches
May 21: New Zealand v Honduras, Warkworth
May 24: New Zealand v Austria, Venue TBC