New Zealand end 16 years wait to secure place in 2026 FIFA World Cup

The All Whites beat New Caledonia 3-0 during the qualifiers.

New Zealand will make their World Cup comeback for the first time in sixteen years after surviving early fears to defeat New Caledonia 3-0 and secure a spot in the competition that will take place in Canada-Mexico-USA.

After being held goalless in the first half and losing skipper Chris Wood to a hip injury early in the second quarter, the Kiwis were forced to fight hard in their Oceania playoff match.

After an hour of fierce opposition from New Caledonia, Michael Boxall finally broke through, netting his maiden goal for his country when New Zealand most needed it.

Elijah completed the victory in the 80th minute after Kosta Barbarouses quickly doubled New Zealand’s lead, sending the entire stadium into jubilation.

Profiting from Fifa’s decision to guarantee the small Oceania confederation a spot in the 2026 competition, New Zealand are set to make their third participation at the World Cup finals.

But for an hour, the Kiwis suffered in Eden Park in Auckland. With a generationally gifted team captained by Wood, a striker for Nottingham Forest, and a 7-0 victory against Fiji in their semi-final on Friday, New Zealand were predicted to be far too formidable for world No. 152 New Caledonia.

New Zealand have qualified for the 2026 World Cup 🏆 pic.twitter.com/uUHei2SAzE

— Khel Now World Football (@KhelNowWF) March 24, 2025

However, the All Whites struggled to create good chances early on because they lacked fluency and passion in their play.

Rocky Nyikeine, the goalie for New Caledonia, who was also in goal during the final Les Cagous victory against New Zealand in 2012, was playing well and keeping the Kiwis out of the game both at set pieces and in general.

Even though they failed to secure a direct qualification, New Caledonia may be the smallest and lowest-ranked country to qualify for a World Cup.

When six countries vie for two spots in an inter-confederation playoff the following year, they will once again be the underdog and have a chance to book their place in the competition.

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