Mini football figure - New Zealand

New Zealand

The New Zealand national football team, also called the All Whites because of their jerseys in reference to the All Blacks, is the selection team of the Pacific island nation of New Zealand. The national team falls under the administration of the New Zealand Football Association. The footballers' greatest successes to date were qualifying for the 1982 World Cup in Spain and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The Beginnings

The first international match played by a New Zealand side was on 23 July 1904 in Dunedin at the old Caledonian Ground. New Zealand was still a British colony at that time. The New Zealanders lost the match 1-0 to the New South Wales side, but managed a 3-3 draw in a re-match seven days later at Athletic Park in Wellington. The following year the selection played a few more matches in New Zealand and Australia.

No other match was played by a New Zealand national team until 1921. On 17 June 1922, the first official international match was played. The team won 3-1 against Australia at the Carisbrook in Dunedin.

Record: World Cup

The New Zealand national football team first participated in a World Cup qualifier in 1970. In two knockout matches, the team played Israel, which at that time still competed in the Oceania zone. The first leg was lost 4-0, the return 2-0, meaning that New Zealand was eliminated in the first round.

In qualifying for the 1974 World Cup in Germany, New Zealand had to compete in a group with Australia, Indonesia and Iraq. At the end of the group matches, New Zealand achieved three draws, two against Australia and one against Indonesia. All other matches were lost, against Iraq even with 0:4, which meant that New Zealand was eliminated as the last team in the group.

The team also failed to qualify for the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. Although New Zealand won both matches against Chinese Taipei 6-0, they only drew against Australia and lost the decisive match 1-3. Second place in the table meant elimination.

New Zealand's first appearance at a world tournament came at the 1982 World Cup in Spain. In the first qualifying round, they won their group against Australia, Chinese Taipei, Fiji and Indonesia. In the final round of the Asia/Oceania zone, New Zealand finished second to China, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, level on points with China. On 10 January 1982, a deciding match for participation in the World Cup finals was played against China. New Zealand won the match 2-1 and thus booked their ticket to Spain

The World Cup began for the team on 15 June 1982 in Malaga against Scotland. New Zealand lost this match 5-2, with Steve Sumner and Steve Wooddin scoring the goals. Their second opponent was the Soviet Union on 19 June, also in Malaga, against whom they lost 3-0. Finally, on 23 June, New Zealand lost 4-0 to Brazil in Seville and was eliminated from the preliminary round of the World Cup finals as the last team in the group.

The 1986 World Cup was not reached. New Zealand was eliminated in the first round of qualifying as third in the group behind Australia and Israel, and ahead of Chinese Taipei. The highlight was a 5-0 win against Chinese Taipei.

In the 1990 World Cup qualifiers in Italy, New Zealand defeated Chinese Taipei 4-0 and 4-1 in two games in the first round to advance to the Oceania Zone finals. But a poor performance in the group of three with Australia and Israel and only one win from four matches meant early elimination.

Australia failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup. After defeating Fiji and Vanuatu in the preliminary round, they lost to Australia in two matches, 0:1 and 0:3.

At the 1998 World Cup, New Zealand was seeded for the second qualifying round. Again they met Fiji, who were defeated 1-0 and 5-0. Against their second group opponent, the national team of Papua New Guinea, New Zealand surprisingly lost the first match 0:1. The return match again ended clearly with 7:0 for New Zealand. Again, there were two deciding matches against Australia, but the first leg was lost 3-0. The second leg ended 0:2 and New Zealand again missed out on qualification for the World Cup finals.

Qualifying for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea got off to a successful start for New Zealand, finishing the first round as group winners ahead of Tahiti, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Cook Islands with four wins from four matches. As in 1994 and 1998, there were two relegation matches against Australia, both of which were lost (0:2 and 1:4).

New Zealand again failed to reach the 2006 World Cup. But this time they did not even face Australia in the relegation play-off. After narrowly losing the opening match against Australia 1-0, New Zealand won 3-0 against the Solomon Islands. On 2 June 2004, they lost 4-2 to the glaring underdogs from Vanuatu in a complete surprise. Tahiti was dispatched 10-0 two days later and Fiji was also beaten 2-0. But because the Solomon Islands played 2:2 against Australia, New Zealand only reached third place in the table, which meant elimination.

In the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, New Zealand won the 2008 OFC Cup of Nations and qualified for two deciders against Bahrain, the fifth-placed team in the Asian qualifiers. New Zealand won the return leg 1-0 at home against Bahrain after a 0-0 draw away from home, qualifying for a World Cup for the second time. Here they faced Italy, Paraguay and Slovakia in Group F. With three draws, New Zealand were eliminated after the preliminary round, but managed to finish third in the group, beating the then reigning world champions Italy. New Zealand was the only team at this World Cup not to suffer a defeat.

In qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, New Zealand again had to wait until the second round, which took place as the 2012 Football Oceania Championship. New Zealand surprisingly failed to win the championship but did qualify for the 3rd World Cup qualifying round. In this, New Caledonia, Oceania champions Tahiti and the Solomon Islands were then eliminated with six wins in six matches. The team thus reached the intercontinental play-offs against Mexico, the fourth-placed team in the CONCACAF qualifiers. However, both matches were lost (1:5 and 2:4).

Similarly, New Zealand failed to reach the intercontinental play-off round for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. As winners of the Oceania qualifiers, where they clearly defeated the Solomon Islands in the finals, New Zealand had to play the fifth-placed CONMEBOL qualifier, Peru, this time and lost 0-0 and 0-2.