New Zealand has secured a place in the World Cup for the third time in their history, defeating New Caledonia 3-0 on Monday.
However, their victory was tempered by an injury to their star striker, Chris Wood, who plays for Nottingham Forest.
The All Whites will join Japan and the co-hosting nations of the United States, Canada, and Mexico in the 2026 finals, thanks to three goals scored in the second half of the match.
The win in Auckland, which concluded the Oceania qualifying competition, came at a cost, as their captain, Wood, sustained what appeared to be a hip injury.
Read Also:Â First Country To Qualify For 2026 World Cup Emerge
Shortly after the halftime break at Eden Park, Wood injured himself while attempting a shot.
He received medical treatment but was eventually forced to leave the field in the 54th minute.
Darren Bazeley, New Zealand’s coach, expressed his disappointment at losing their captain and main goal scorer, but praised the team for their resilience.
Despite dominating the first half, the home team struggled to create clear opportunities. However, veteran defender Michael Boxall broke the deadlock in the 61st minute, heading home from a corner for his first international goal.
Five minutes later, Kosta Barbarouses, who had replaced Wood, scored by chipping the ball over the advancing New Caledonia goalkeeper, Rocky Nyikeine.
Substitute Eli Just added a third goal from close range with ten minutes remaining in the match.
New Caledonia still has a chance to qualify for the World Cup through an intercontinental playoff.
The expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams means that the winner of the Oceania qualifying competition automatically qualifies for the finals for the first time.
Previously, the top team from the region had to participate in an intercontinental playoff, with New Zealand failing to qualify in recent editions against Mexico, Costa Rica, and Peru.
New Zealand has previously competed in the World Cup twice, in 1982 and 2010, but has yet to win a match in the tournament.
Boxall stated that they expected to qualify given the World Cup’s expansion, and emphasized that their focus is now on performing well at the finals.
New Zealand, playing against a team ranked 152nd in the world, started the match strongly.
New Caledonia, a French Pacific territory with a population of approximately 300,000, who have never qualified for the World Cup, twice cleared the ball off the goal line in quick succession after 20 minutes.
Wood, who has been in excellent form for Forest this season, had a scoring opportunity in the 32nd minute, but his shot was comfortably saved by Nyikeine.
Wood then headed the ball over the bar from a corner, and at halftime, with the score unexpectedly level, the New Caledonia players celebrated with their goalkeeper.
Bazeley made two substitutions at halftime, bringing on winger Just and defender Francis de Vries.
Despite losing their key player, Wood, New Zealand’s sustained pressure eventually paid off against a tiring New Caledonia, securing their place in the World Cup.
Join Informant Online WhatsApp Channel With Link Below: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaihFajBadmT29ufud2
