The Football Ferns won the first leg of the Stage 2 playoff 7-1 in Lae, Papua New Guinea on Saturday afternoon and the return leg was set for Tuesday night at QBE Stadium in Albany.
New Zealand Football CEO Andy Martin said Tuesday’s notification brought a mixed reaction from everyone involved and a replacement fixture has been quickly arranged.
"While we’re obviously delighted the Football Ferns will be making the trip to Rio, we’re disappointed tonight’s game will not be going ahead and we won’t get the chance to secure our place on the field in front of our fans," Martin said.
"However, with the team continuing their preparation as scheduled, we have organised an exhibition game against an Invitational XI which will give New Zealand fans the chance to see our best female players in action on home soil.
"It also means we still have the opportunity to mark the contribution to football of Hayley Bowden, who was recently made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, and also celebrate the 100-cap marks achieved by Amber Hearn and Katie Duncan in the last year, which we had planned to do during the second leg of the playoff."
There will be no entry cost to the game against the Invitational XI with the match kicking off at the originally scheduled time of 7.30pm at QBE Stadium in Albany.
The match will not now be broadcast on SKY Sport.
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