VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) 鈥� New Zealand might have arrived at this just happy to be here again. But earning a point in the has opened the door to a run the All Whites have never made.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 let the occasion get too big,鈥� head coach Darren Bazeley said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about us winning a game of football.鈥�
The All Whites enter Sunday鈥檚 match against No. 29 Egypt with a chance to move out of the group stage for the first time in their World Cup history. For a nation ranked No. 82, fourth lowest in this year鈥檚 expanded 48鈥憈eam format, simply getting here for the first time since 2010 might have been enough.
But now, New Zealand has given itself a chance.
鈥淧utting ourselves in such a great position 鈥� like this opportunity to create history 鈥� we know how good we can be,鈥� midfielder Ben Old said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a really exciting moment to be in.鈥�
New Zealand鈥檚 presence in this tournament is tied directly to the expanded field. The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) earned its first-ever automatic berth, and the All Whites claimed it through a three鈥憇tep qualifying process that concluded with a 3鈥�0 win over No. 151 New Caledonia.
No. 25 Australia, once the region鈥檚 powerhouse, left for the Asian Football Confederation in 2006 in search of stronger competition and a clearer route to the World Cup. Its departure left New Zealand as the dominant team in a confederation where the next鈥慼ighest鈥憆anked team is New Caledonia.
That imbalance is why region matters so much. FIFA allocates its 48 places unevenly.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not something for us to be scared about,鈥� Bazeley said. 鈥淚f we鈥檙e going to win a World Cup, we have to play against top teams and top players and perform well.鈥�
Larger confederations tend to get more representation across the board. UEFA, for example, gets 16 slots. OFC is granted just one ticket.
In some regions, strong teams miss out entirely. In fact, 17 of FIFA鈥檚 48 top-ranked teams did not qualify this year. Denmark, ranked No. 20, missed this tournament out of UEFA, and No. 14 Italy has missed three straight. If World Cup qualifying was based simply on ranking, No. 48 Venezuela would be the last team in. It is the only team to never qualify out of CONMEBOL, which is granted six automatic berths.
Qualifying often depends heavily on geography rather than global standing.
New Zealand knows its region cannot sharpen it. So it schedules friendlies against higher鈥憆anked opponents, a strategy that seemingly paid off in the opener in the
Midfielder Elijah Just scored both goals Monday, matching New Zealand鈥檚 total goal output in each of its previous World Cup appearances in 1982 and 2010. With two group matches left, New Zealand can break its single鈥憈ournament scoring record and chase its first鈥慹ver World Cup win.
鈥淲e鈥檙e always used to being the underdogs,鈥� Old said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not afraid to play any of these teams.鈥�
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Drew Renner is a student in the University of Georgia鈥檚 Carmical Sports Media Institute.
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