New Zealand qualifies for the World Cup for the third time in history

New Zealand is the fifth team confirmed for the World Cup 2026, alongside hosts United States, Mexico and Canada, as well as Japan. It will be just the third World Cup the country has ever taken part in, after Spain 1982 and South Africa 2010. In both cases, New Zealand did not pass beyond the group stage, and they have yet to win any match. However, now it's a time to celebrate, as they defeated New Caledonia and finished first in the Oceanic qualification phase. The match ended 3-0, despite the early injury of Chris Wood, their most notable international player, who plays for Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.

The World Cup 2026 will be an expanded edition, with 48 teams instead of the usual 32. Thanks to this, OFC (Oceania) got at least two spots for the World Cup, including a guaranteed one for the country that won the OFC qualifying phase. That's a change from the usual process, which used to offer only one spot for the OFC nations, which then had to fight in a play-off against a CONCACAF nation.

Last year, New Zealand lost to Costa Rica. But for the 2026 edition, with one direct spot guaranteed for the best team in the OFC qualifiers, New Zealand took advantage of the chance, beating Tahiti, Vanautu, and Samoa in the Group stage, and Fiji and New Caledonia in the final stages. And for the 2030 edition, if it's indeed extended to 64 teams, they will have a good chance of securing another spot in the FIFA World Cup in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.