For just the third time New Zealand are heading to the FIFA World Cup™. After a difficult first foray at Spain 1982, the All Whites’ next adventure almost three decades later was a far more positive outing.
Despite exiting at the group stage at South Africa 2010, the team collected three straight draws against Slovakia, Italy and Paraguay and they will be targeting a first win and knockout stage progression on their return to the sport’s top table.
Having eased through qualification to secure the historic first direct slot available to the OFC, New Zealand are aiming to impress in North America.
New Zealand head coach: Darren Bazeley
After featuring in more than 250 matches for English side Watford, Bazeley wound down his playing career in the early years of Australia’s A-League with the now defunct New Zealand Knights. He had one final stint with local outfit Waitakere United in the 2007/08 season where he featured at the FIFA Club World Cup™, losing 3-1 to IR Iran outfit Sepahan.
The Northampton native made a fairly quick transition into coaching and over the past decade and a half he has led New Zealand at all age levels. Having steered the U-20 side into the knockout stage at the 2015, 2017 and 2023 editions of the FIFA U-20 World Cup™ he was placed in charge of the senior side on a permanent basis in July 2023.
Having romped to the OFC Men’s Nations Cup title in 2024, the 52-year-old oversaw a fantastic qualification campaign for the World Cup as the All Whites won all five matches to charge into the global showpiece.
New Zealand’s World Cup 26 fixtures and group
New Zealand will learn their group stage opponents when the Final Draw for the tournament takes place in Washington DC on 5 December at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The draw will commence at 12:00 local time (18:00CET).
Full World Cup 26 match schedule
How New Zealand qualified for World Cup 26
With the OFC having a direct berth to the World Cup for the first time there was plenty of excitement across the region as to who would secure that ticket and New Zealand wasted little time in showing themselves as the team to beat.
Having entered in the second of three qualification rounds, the All Whites racked up big wins against Tahiti (3-0), Vanuatu (8-1) and Samoa (8-0) to book a date with Fiji in the third round.
Their dominance continued as they thrashed the Bula Boys 7-0 in Wellington on 21 March 2025 before securing qualification three days later with a 3-0 win over New Caledonia in Auckland.
New Zealand’s World Cup history
New Zealand’s best World Cup
Having ended a 28-year drought to return to the World Cup for just the second time, New Zealand’s exploits in South Africa are still the stuff of legend in the land of the long white cloud.
The nation’s first foray onto the global stage had seen them exit Spain 1982 with three straight defeats and, drawn in a group containing Italy, Paraguay and Slovakia for the South African tournament expectations were muted.
At the end of their ten-day adventure, the All Whites returned home as the only undefeated nation at that World Cup, having collected draws against all three of their group stage foes.
New Zealand’s last World Cup
That remarkable tournament in South Africa saw the All Whites complete the rare feat of exiting the group stage without a loss, while they also managed to finish above Italy, the reigning World Cup champions, in Group F.
The opening match against Slovakia saw the European nation score for the first time at a World Cup and the All Whites grab their first point, as a dramatic 93rd minute Winston Reid strike cancelled out Robert Vittek’s 50th minute opener.
Attention then shifted to Nelspruit where Shane Smeltz, who was then the nation’s all-time top scorer, grabbed a sensational seventh-minute opener against Italy, only for the defending champions to escape with a point courtesy of a Vincenzo Iaquinta penalty just shy of the half hour.
The final group outing against Paraguay ended scoreless, thanks in large part to a string of fine saves from goalkeeper Mark Paston as the plucky underdogs departed with points, pride and plaudits.
New Zealand’s first World Cup
After three failed qualification campaigns, New Zealand finally reached the sport’s main stage in 1982. With only two places available for the entirety of Asia and Oceania it was an epic achievement from the All Whites just to qualify. At one point, the nation played four matches in 13 days, all away from home, in Fiji, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia and Australia before they downed China PR 2-1 in the play-off match in front of 60,000 supporters in neutral Singapore.
Things were just as tough at the tournament itself as New Zealand fell 5-2 to Scotland in their first-ever World Cup match. The late Steve Sumner became the first OFC player to score in the global finals when he struck early in the second half before Steve Wooddin became the second ten minutes later.
A 3-0 loss against the Soviet Union was followed by a 4-0 defeat at the hands of a Zico-inspired Brazil to round out the nation’s first World Cup foray.
New Zealand’s World Cup top scorer
Alongside the two Steves, Sumner and Wooddin, only two other men have registered World Cup goals for the nation. Both of those came in the nation’s second outing, Reid with the historic strike that secured their first point and then Smeltz’s early effort against Italy at South Africa 2010.
New Zealand’s record World Cup appearance makers
Ten players, including goalkeeper Frank van Hattum, Sumner, Wooddin and the iconic Wynton Rufer featured in all three of New Zealand’s group outings at Spain 1982.
With a further 12 (including the still active Chris Wood) playing a part in each of the nation’s trio of matches in South Africa, it means that a total of 22 players are level on a record three appearances.
New Zealand’s memorable World Cup moments
While Sumner’s strike against Scotland in Malaga in 1982 was an historic moment, it’s hard to go past the impact of two famous results, against Slovakia and then Italy, at the 2010 tournament.
Given the time when it arrived and the scope of procuring the nation’s first ever point, Reid’s late, late equaliser against the Slovaks in Rustenburg is a moment that all New Zealand supporters will never forget.
Trailing to Vittek’s 50th minute goal and with three minutes of second half stoppage time played, Smeltz whipped in a deep cross from the left. There to meet it, against all odds, was central defender Reid.
Having steered his header off the base of the post and past Jan Mucha, the former West Ham star tore off to celebrate.
“I know I got to close my eyes and head the ball in the back of the net but it was like everyone had scored. It still feels like yesterday but obviously a few years have passed,” Reid said when he announced his international retirement in 2022. “It was a great time for not only myself but my team-mates, the staff and the nation as well. It’s just a proud, proud moment.”
