New Zealand

New Zealand are the only team at the 2026 World Cup to have qualified without losing a single OFC qualifying match, going a perfect 6-from-6 in the expanded direct-qualification pathway.

Chris Wood scored 9 goals in OFC qualifying — more than twice as many as any other player — cementing his status as the All Whites' all-time record scorer with 45 goals from 88 caps.

Tim Payne became one of the most viral footballers in the world in June 2026 when a humorous clip by Argentine influencer 'El Scarso' turned the Wellington Phoenix defender into a global internet sensation.

Auckland FC, the All Whites' home-city club, supplied five players to the squad after winning both the 2026 A-League Men Premiership and the Grand Final in their second season of existence.

Tommy Smith (36) joins Chris Wood as the only players from New Zealand's last World Cup appearance in 2010, now playing for sixth-tier Braintree Town in England — making him one of the lowest-division players in any World Cup squad.

At South Africa 2010, New Zealand drew all three group games and went home as the only unbeaten team at the entire tournament — even champions Spain lost a match.

New Zealand's road to their first World Cup in 1982 was an epic 15-match qualifying marathon — a record at the time — ending in a winner-takes-all playoff against China in neutral Singapore, which they won 2-1.