Pain of long World Cup absence will spur New Zealand to 2026: coach
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They missed out on the last three tournaments because of defeats in intercontinental playoffs
(Reuters) - New Zealand's players are carrying the hurt of failing to qualify for three straight World Cups and that pain should help them beat Fiji on the road to the 2026 finals, coach Darren Bazeley said.
The All Whites missed out on the last three tournaments because of defeats in intercontinental playoffs but should sail into the expanded 48-team tournament in North America as Oceania's dominant team.
They play Fiji in the Oceania semi-finals in Wellington on Friday, with the winner to play either New Caledonia or Tahiti for a direct ticket to 2026.
"Obviously, those intercontinental games were big games, big moments," Bazeley told reporters on Wednesday.
"What we have now is a lot of players that have experienced the hurt of not qualifying.
"The players are hurting, some of the players know that they’ve missed out on these moments.
"So that makes it more challenging for Fiji knowing that we've got a team that won’t be complacent."
The semi-final is a huge mismatch on paper at least, with world number 89 New Zealand playing a 148th-ranked side of amateur footballers.
Bazeley said it was difficult for the players to avoid getting caught up in expectations but backed them to do the job.
"We know that we’re the favourites with the squad that we have but we also know it’s a game of football ... We’re expecting a good, tough game."
Captain Chris Wood, the only player in the squad to play in a World Cup the last time New Zealand qualified in 2010, will be a focal point up front having scored 18 goals for high-flying Nottingham Forest in the Premier League this season.
Bazeley said it was up to Wood's teammates to give him the same service he has enjoyed at Forest.
"What Chris is doing is amazing. Scoring goals at the highest level in the toughest league in the world - and consistently - is great," added the coach.
"He’s got some good players around him there. We’ve got some good players in the squad that are up for that challenge and they want to also supply good service for Chris to score goals."
