New Zealand Football have confirmed two friendlies for the All Whites at the start of 2022 with Jordan and Uzbekistan lined up in January and February.
The All Whites will play Jordan in Abu Dhabi on Saturday 29 January NZT and Uzbekistan in Dubai on Wednesday 2 February and will act as a warm-up ahead of the OFC FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifying tournament in Qatar in March.
All Whites coach Danny Hay said he hopes to use the fixtures to build on their strong 2021 which saw them finish 6th at the Olympics and win matches against Curaçao, Bahrain and The Gambia.
“We have made good progress during the Olympic campaign and through the games in the spring, but in 2022, with FIFA World Cup qualifying on the line, the stakes are definitely higher," Hay said.
“Confirming these fixtures was really important so we can kick-off the year with games and continue to build on the momentum from the October and November matches."
“These games should definitely be a good test for us and that is what we need to develop as a playing group."
Hay said the matches could "potentially" give him the opportunity to include a few new players.
"It also gives us another chance to play in the Middle East and allows the squad to acclimatise to the conditions ahead of the OFC games in March," he said.
"The more time we can have together as a squad, to continue to build the connections and culture on and off the pitch, the better prepared we will be.”
NZF said kick-off times and venues for the two fixtures will be confirmed in January.
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