March 24 – New Zealand laboured to a 3-0 victory against New Caledonia to qualify for the 2026 World Cup and return to the global stage for the first time in 16 years.
New Caledonia, who had eliminated Tahiti in the semi-finals of Oceania’s World Cup playoffs, held the All Whites 0-0 in the first 45 minutes, demonstrating resilience and cohesion, but a second second-half flurry of Kiwi goals propelled New Zealand to a sizeable victory and a World Cup ticket.
The All Whites will feature at their third World Cup finals, benefiting from FIFA’s decision to grant the small Oceania confederation a guaranteed spot at the expanded 2026 tournament.
It didn’t come easy. The All Whites had swept past Fiji 7-0 in the semi-finals, but lost veteran striker Chris Wood to injury and laboured until the hour mark when Michael Boxall’s header, his first goal in 55 caps, delivered a major blow to New Caledonia, 1-0. Minutes later, Kosta Barbarouses scored a second and there was no looking back for the hosts as substitute Eli Just wrapped up the win in the 80th minute.
“You know, there’s a World Cup on the line,” said New Zealand manager Darren Bazeley. “Everybody wants to get there. We’re playing in a game where we’re the heavy favourites. It’s a weird feeling for the for the players. You know, it’s something that you know we have to deal with obviously and it took us a little bit longer than we wanted.”
“I never felt at risk for the game, but it was definitely a little bit edgy and a bit frustrating because I think we all wanted to go and play like what happened Friday. They dropped into a bit of a block defensively and made it quite hard for us. They were good.”
New Zealand debuted at the 1982 World Cup in Spain and returned to the finals in 2010 in South Africa where they finished third in Group F following draws with Italy, Slovakia and Paraguay.
New Caledonia, 152nd on the FIFA ranking, can keep dreaming of qualification for the World Cup with the intercontinental playoffs offering a second chance.
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