Chris Wood attacks for the All Whites against Tahiti in the first round of Oceania football qualifiers in Vanuatu, October 2024. Photo: Photosport
The All Whites have been given extra incentive to win the Oceania Fifa World Cup qualifiers, with home venues announced for the semi-finals and final next March.
The Oceania Football Confederation said Wellington’s Sky Stadium would host the semi-finals on Friday, 21 March, with kick-offs at 3pm and 7pm.
The final will be held at Eden Park in Auckland on Monday, 24 March, with a 7pm kick-off.
The winner will get direct entry into the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States in 2026, while the losing finalist go head to a play-off match against another Fifa confederation team for a second tilt at making the cup.
The four teams that take part in the semi-finals will be decided following the final two rounds of group games in New Zealand and Papua New Guinea this month.
The All Whites, who beat Tahiti 3-0 during the first round, will play Vanuatu in Hamilton on Friday night and then Samoa in Auckland next Monday night.
New Zealand Football chief executive Andrew Pragnell said that all going well in those games, the best Kiwi professional players from around the world would be home for the playoffs.
“The All Whites qualifying for the Fifa World Cup for the first time since 2010 would have a transformational impact on the game in Aotearoa, so we are doing everything we can to ensure the team are in the best place to perform and call on fans across the country to get behind them.”
Tickets for the semi-finals and final will go on pre-sale to New Zealand Football’s whanau membership on 21 November, with general sale tickets opening up a week later.
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Central Coast Mariners defender Brian Kaltak will lead the Vanuatu men’s football team in their Oceania World Cup qualifiers in New Zealand this week.
It took New Zealand just 90 seconds to score with Elijah Just grabbing the opener.
On Friday, New Zealand plays Tahiti, and on Saturday, Vanuatu takes on Samoa.
The fight for Oceania’s representative at the 2026 FIFA World Cup starts in September, with the winner gaining automatic qualification.
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