Opening match against Iran<\/span> This opened the door to a breakthrough the All Whites had never achieved before.<\/p>\n“We can’t make this opportunity too big,” head coach Darren Bazley said. “It’s about us winning football games.”<\/p>\n
The All Whites head into Sunday’s match against 29th-placed Egypt with a chance to advance through the group stages for the first time in World Cup history. Coming here for the first time since 2010 might have been enough for the nation, which is ranked 82nd and fourth from the bottom in this year’s expanded 48-team format.<\/p>\n
But now New Zealand is giving itself a chance.<\/p>\n
Midfielder Ben Auld said: “We know how good we can be by putting ourselves in such a great position, like this opportunity to make history.” “It’s a really exciting moment.”<\/p>\n
New Zealand’s presence in this tournament is directly linked to the expansion of the field. The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) achieved automatic qualification for the first time in its history, and the All Whites qualified through a three-stage qualification process with a 3-0 victory over 151st-placed New Caledonia.<\/p>\n
Once the region’s powerhouse, world No. 25 Australia moved to the Asian Football Confederation in 2006 in search of stronger competition and a clearer path to the World Cup. With the departure of the federation, New Zealand became the dominant team in the federation, with New Caledonia the next highest ranked team.<\/p>\n
This imbalance is why region is so important. FIFA allocates the 48 spots unevenly.<\/p>\n
“It’s not something we’re afraid of,” Bazley said. \u201cIf you want to win the World Cup, you have to play against top teams and top players and perform well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Larger federations tend to have more representation overall. For example, UEFA will award 16 spots. Only one ticket will be awarded to OFC.<\/p>\n
In some regions, strong teams completely miss out. In fact, 17 of FIFA’s top 48 teams failed to qualify this year. Denmark, ranked 20th in the rankings, missed out on this tournament after being excluded from UEFA, while Italy, ranked 14th, missed out on their third consecutive tournament. If World Cup qualifiers were based solely on rankings, 48th place Venezuela would be the final team to qualify. The team was the only team in CONMEBOL that did not qualify, with six automatic qualifications.<\/p>\n
Qualification often depends more on geography than world standing. <\/p>\n
New Zealand knows its region cannot sharpen it. Therefore, they scheduled a friendly match against a higher-ranked opponent, and that strategy seemed to have paid off in the opening match. The All Whites played against 22nd place Iran and drew 2-2.<\/span><\/p>\nMidfielder Elijah Just scored both goals on Monday, matching New Zealand’s total from their 1982 and 2010 World Cup appearances. With two group games remaining, New Zealand could look to break the single-tournament scoring record and claim their first World Cup victory.<\/p>\n
“We’re always used to being the underdog,” Auld said. “We’re not afraid to play against these teams.”<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Drew Renner is a student at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
AP World Cup coverage: https:\/\/apnews.com\/fifa-world-cup<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
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