New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert believes a bright future lies ahead for the country after their fairytale World Cup ended in disappointment.

Despite not losing a match - Thursday's goalless scoreline against Paraguay at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane followed draws against Slovakia and Italy - the All Whites missed out on qualification from Group F by a point.

"I think when you look at the team, 85% of it can go on to the 2014 programme and there are not a lot of sides that are in that position," said Herbert. "The future looks extremely bright for this team."