FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: All Whites Embrace Favourites Tag

Thursday, 13 March 2025, 8:08 pm
Article: RNZ

Felicity Reid, Sports Journalist

A "laser-focussed" All Whites squad have the odds stacked in their favour and now it is up to them to cash in.

Win twice on home soil this month, against opposition ranked at least 58 places lower than New Zealand, and a berth at the World Cup for just the third time will belong to the All Whites.

Only one current All White, striker Chris Wood, has been a part of a successful World Cup qualification campaign.

Veteran defender Tommy Smith played at the last World Cup New Zealand was at in 2010, with Wood, but he was not part of the qualification process.

Since then, he has taken part in three failed attempts to get New Zealand back to the global tournament.

Now, at the back end of his career, 34-year-old Smith might not have another opportunity to get to a pinnacle event.

The expansion of the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams for the next year's tournament co-hosted by United States, Canada and Mexico means for the first time the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) has direct entry for one team.

New Zealand, Fiji, New Caledonia and Tahiti are the last teams standing for OFC in with a chance of claiming that spot.

The All Whites play Fiji in their semi-final on 21 March and when they take the field in Wellington, they will already know who the winner will meet in the final in Auckland on 24 March.

As undeniable favourites to win both upcoming games, there is a weight of expectation on the home side that has not existed in the past when the New Zealanders were the underdogs in inter-continental playoffs.

"There's probably no more pressure than the pressure we put on ourselves within the group of players and staff we know the potential within the group and we know that is the first step on what hopefully will be a successful journey for us long term there's going to be no complacency at all," Smith said.

"We know not to take it for granted, Fiji have got some real quality in their team that we're going to have to be wary of but our squad is disciplined, focussed and we're all laser-focussed on that end goal."

Smith's role in the 23-man All Whites squad selected for these games is different to what it was 15 years ago.

"Still got life in me on the pitch but my role off the pitch has grown as well as I've gained more experience and trying to help and nurture the younger players as they come into the squad is something that makes me proud as well and I try and do that to the best of my ability even if they're in position," the 56-cap centre back said.

"Equally, I want to be playing as well I'm not happy just to be sat on the bench and hopefully my performances for my club have put me in the window to get some more minutes but if I'm starting or I'm not starting I will try and be as supportive and as encouraging as I can."

Coach Darren Bazeley is not shying away from the favourites tag - it would be hard to argue differently given the All Whites have played Fiji 40 times for 31 wins and five losses.

Against the other two potential finalists, New Zealand has 14 wins from 18 games Tahiti and 20 wins from 33 games against New Caledonia.

Keeping his squad his not looking too far ahead to the World Cup is "100 percent" a challenge, Bazeley said.

"Part of the job is to make sure that there is no complacency in the whole environment that's staff and players to make sure that we prepare the same as we would if we were playing a Mexico or USA like we did at the back end of last year and we will. Everybody is really professional in the staff and the playing group nobody is taking anything for granted and we all know it is a game of football and anything can happen so it's our job to make sure it all happens in our favour."

As for what the Pacific opposition will think when they see who they're up against in the qualifiers to get to the World Cup for the first time.

"For those guys it must be amazing looking at the squad they're going to come up against and seeing Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest), Tyler Bindon (Reading FC), Marko Stamenic (Olympiacos) and Libby Cacace playing Series A but I know Fiji are fit, strong, they're competitive and they'll see it as a real good challenge to stand up to."

Bazeley, who was appointed to the permanent head coach role in July 2023, said the final step of qualifying was something that was years in the making.

"We've been building in all of our previous games, building experience building the squad building the options building the depth building the style of play building the culture and I feel pretty relaxed at the moment knowing that there's been a lot of work done in the build up for this game and when we get together, which won't be until Tuesday, we are in a place where we can just pick it up and carry on from the last few windows and that is the beauty of having that cohesion and consistency."

World Cup qualifiers hosted in New Zealand have drawn big crowds. More the 37,000 people watched on in Wellington in 2017 when the All Whites drew 0-all with Peru. More than 35,000 were in the stadium in Wellington in 2009 when Rory Fallon's goal against Bahrain got New Zealand to their last world cup.

Bazeley is hopeful Sky Stadium is a sell out again for the semi-final and the crowds flock to Eden Park for the final.

"The message would be the reward is the same. It's easier games than we've had in the past we know that but the reward is the same and the people that want to see us at a world cup these are the games come and help us, support us, back the players and be there.

"Everybody who was at Bahrain [in Wellington] back in 2009 they remember those moments, they remember Rory and Mark Paston moments and we'll have players that will need to have those moments in the next two weeks."

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