The All Whites have found out their opponents for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, which will be held next year in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The All Whites will take on Belgium, Egypt, and Iran in Group G of the tournament.
Their three group matches will be played in the western region host cities of Seattle, Vancouver and Los Angeles. They will be played on June 15, 21 and 26.
The All Whites had to wait until the end of the draw to learn their opponents for the tournament, as they were the last nation to be drawn from pot four by Canadian ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky.
Belgium are ranked eighth in the world and qualified for the World Cup by topping their European qualification group without losing a game, though they drew three times.
At the previous World Cup in Qatar, Belgium finished third in their group behind Morocco and Croatia, and did not progress to the knockout stages.
Egypt are ranked 34th in the world and qualified top of their African group without losing a match.
Their last World Cup appearance was at the 2018 edition, where they finished bottom of their pool, losing all three matches.
The All Whites went down 1-0 against the African nation last year in a friendly match.
Iran, ranked 20th in the world, also qualified for the World Cup by topping their Asian group, losing just one match on the way to the tournament.
All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley was in attendance in Washington, DC, and said that while the group was challenging, others were tougher.
“It took a bit of time. We were the last name out of the hat,” Bazeley told 1News shortly after the draw.
"It's a tough group, and they're all tough teams, but looking at other groups - it could've been worse.
"We've got a March window before the World Cup, but now we know who we're going to face, we can start properly preparing.”
That March international window will feature the All Whites hosting three other nations for a tournament, with the other teams yet to be announced.
"We have games that are challenging, but winnable."
2026 FIFA World Cup Groups:
Group A: Mexico, Korea Republic, South Africa, Euro playoff D winner (Czechia, Republic of Ireland, Denmark, North Macedonia)
Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, Euro playoff A winner (Wales, Bosnia, Italy, Northern Ireland)
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti
Group D: USA, Australia, Paraguay, Euro Playoff C winner (Slovakia, Kosovo, Türkiye, Romania)
Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Côte d’Ivoire, Curaçao
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, Euro Playoff B winner (Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Albania)
Group G: Belgium, IR Iran, Egypt, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cabo Verde
Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, FIFA Playoff 2 winner (Bolivia, Suriname, Iraq)
Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, FIFA Playoff 1 winner (New Caledonia, Jamaica, DR Congo)
Group L: England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana
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