New Zealand were beaten 1-0 by Canada in the opening match of the FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup competition at North Harbour Stadium in Albany.
The home team had nine opportunities to score including two in injury time, but Canada scored the only goal - just after half time.
New Zealand's next match is against Denmark at North Harbour on Saturday.
In Wednesday's pool matches: Denmark play Colombia, Costa Rica play Germany and Korea play Ghana.
