Come this afternoon, the All Whites' road to the 2018 Football World Cup in Russia will be made a whole lot clearer, with today's final round of South American qualification matches to decide New Zealand's intercontinental play-off opponent.
Anthony Hudson's side will face the fifth placed South American team over two legs later this year, with the winner earning one of the final spots for the global showpiece next year.
While on paper the equation may seem simple, in reality no fewer than five teams could find themselves travelling to Wellington to take on New Zealand on November 6.
Superstars Brazil have already booked their tickets to Russia and lead South American qualifying, while in second position sit Uruguay - unlikely to drop as low as fifth and have to qualify via the play-off.
Sitting in third and fourth spots on the CONMEBOL qualification table are heavyweights Chile and Colombia, level on 26 points, and while it seems unlikely for now, results going against either side could see the one of the two South American titans facing off against the likes of Chris Wood and Winston Reid.
Both sides face difficult away trips in their final qualification matches, with Chile travelling to take on Brazil, while Colombia meet Peru - who themselves sit in fifth spot on 25 points.
Level with Peru on points but behind on goal difference, are none other than the former world champions, Argentina, boasting arguably the best player of all time in Lionel Messi.
Argentina will face Ecuador away from home, needing a win to avoid the embarrassment of missing out on next year's World Cup altogether, having been runners up in the 2014 edition in Brazil.
Lastly, in seventh spot - but by no means out of the race to Russia - sit Paraguay on 24 points, with a win conceivably lifting them as high as third in the group to earn direct qualification.
CONMEBOL fixtures (kick off 12:30pm NZT):
Ecuador v Argentina
Brazil v Chile
Paraguay v Venezuela
Uruguay v Bolivia
Peru v Colombia
SHARE ME