New Zealand did not fail and, after 16 years, will return to a World Cup after decisively defeating New Caledonia (0-3) and being crowned champions of the Oceania qualification phase. In this way, they join the host nations United States, Canada, and Mexico, along with Japan, as the fifth team qualified for the 2026 World Cup.

New Zealand cruised through Oceania

In the end, the match ended in a rout. However, New Caledonia didn’t make things easy and held the 0-0 draw for over an hour of play… until Michael Boxall broke the resistance with a pass from Francis De Cries. Undoubtedly, it was a hard blow from which New Caledonia could not recover, as they conceded the 0-2 just five minutes later… before conceding the third goal 10 minutes before the end of the match.

The truth is that New Zealand has signed an impeccable qualification phase. Placed in Group B, they breezed past Tahiti (3-0), Vanuatu (8-1), and Samoa (0-8). In the semifinals, they swept aside Fiji (7-0) without breaking a sweat in this FIFA window… and they completed their job against New Caledonia in the final of the Oceania qualifiers without needing to rely on goals from Chris Wood, their star player who is having a stellar season with Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.

Third World Cup for New Zealand

After participating in the Spain 1982 and South Africa 2010 World Cups, New Zealand will compete in a World Cup for the third time in its history in 2026. Just being at the event is a massive achievement. However, while qualifying for the knockout rounds may seem like a long shot, New Zealand's main goal is to win their first match in a World Cup.

On the other hand, New Caledonia has missed a golden opportunity to qualify for their first World Cup. Now, to make it to the World Cup, they will have to go through the international playoff. There, five other teams will compete for two spots: the seventh place from South America, two teams from CONCACAF (excluding the host nations), and the winners of the playoffs in Asia and Africa.