All Whites to play Haiti in pre-World Cup friendly

The All Whites will play a friendly against Haiti in Florida as part of their pre-World Cup campaign in June.

The match will be played at 12pm on June 3 (NZT) at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, four days before the All Whites take on England in another pre-tournament friendly.

It will be the first time New Zealand has played against Haiti at senior international level. The Caribbean nation is ranked 83rd in the world, two spots above New Zealand. The North American tournament is their first in 50 years.

All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley said the two friendlies against Haiti and England were crucial ahead of New Zealand's first group stage game against Iran on June 16.

“Since the draw, we have been working to lock in two games against fellow FIFA World Cup opposition to put us in the best place to perform at the tournament, and the combination of facing Haiti and England, both in Florida, is something we feel does exactly that.

“Haiti are a good side and are ranked at a similar level to us, so we feel that provides a perfect test as we get ready to kick off against Iran in LA."

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He also said the New Zealand squad for the tournament was expected to be announced in May.

Watch the All Whites' FIFA World Cup matches live and free on TVNZ+