New Zealand qualified for the 2026 World Cup on Monday with a 3-0 defeat of New Caledonia as veterans Michael Boxall and Kosta Barbarouses scored in a second-half burst to help the All Whites return to the finals for the first time since 2010.
Boxall scored his first goal for New Zealand in his 55th international with a header on the hour-mark before Barbarouses volleyed over the goalkeeper five minutes later to send a crowd of more than 25,000 into ecstasy at Eden Park.
Substitute Elijah Just added the third goal in the 80th minute to ensure New Zealand advance to their third World Cup following the 1982 and 2010 finals.
New Zealand missed out on the last three World Cups after defeats in intercontinental playoffs.
But with Oceania given a berth at the finals for the first time, the All Whites were a shoo-in as the region’s dominant team.
New Zealand became the second nation through to the tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, with Japan qualifying with a home win over Bahrain last week.
“We’re going to another World Cup. I’m ecstatic,” said 35-year-old winger Barbarouses, who missed out on selection for New Zealand’s World Cup squad in 2010. “This is my fifth attempt to get to a World Cup. So I’m really sort of emotional, very happy and sort of had flashbacks of the last 15 years. “I’m very happy to contribute and help the team get over the line.”
New Zealand’s players put on white T-shirts emblazoned with “Qualified” and sprayed champagne on each other.
The celebrations were tempered slightly with an apparent hip injury to captain Chris Wood who limped off early in the second half.