Star player:
Ryan Nelsen

Previous appearances:
1982.

How they qualified
OFC
Fiji (a)                  2-0
Vanuatu (a)          2-1
Vanuatu (h)          4-1
New Caledonia (a)  3-1
New Caledonia (h)  3-0
Fiji (h)                   0-2

Qualifing playoffs
Bahrain (a)             0-0
Bahrain (h)             1-0

Chances:
The All Whites ensured a truly global event by qualifying as the Oceania region's representative, but few would back them to get beyond the group stage.

Strange but true
New Zealand’s biggest win was a 13-0 defeat of Fiji during the qualification campaign for the 1982 World Cup. Midfielder and captain Steve Sumner scored a record 6 goals in the game. At the finals, Sumner scored against Scotland to become the first player from an Oceania zone country to find the net at a World Cup finals.