World Cup Team Profiles: Group F: New Zealand

Teams / Ari Last / 08 March 2010 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet

No other team has a less likely chance of winning the World Cup than New Zealand, but now they've made it, they'll be determined to enjoy themselves.

[1000.0] to win it, and [11.0] to get out of Group F; should New Zealand even win a game in South Africa it would go down as one of the tournament's biggest upsets. That said, they're a proud nation who won't want to be embarrassed. Unfortunately though, they may not have a choice.

Nation: New Zealand

Also known as...
'The All Whites'

Route to South Africa...
Both comfortable and utterly tense. New Zealand breezed through the qualification group winning their first five fixtures. They then had to endure an excruciatingly long 11-month wait to face Bahrain in a two-legged play-off. After drawing 0-0 in Manama, the All Whites won the second leg 1-0, thanks to a header from Rory Fallon and second-half penalty save from Mark Paston.

World Cup Pedigree...
After debuting in 1982, the New Zealanders haven't been seen since. Their campaign to qualify for the last World Cup was a disaster, which is why they deserve immense credit for turning things around in order to earn their seat at the table in 2010.

They'll be relying on...
Oceanic Player of the Year Shane Smeltz playing out of his skin in South Africa. Smeltz was the Australian A-League's top scorer last season having proven prolific both on the ground and in the air. At the back, Blackburn's Ryan Nelson will have a major part to play in keeping things steady, and he'll need to keep fit between now and June if the New Zealanders are to have any hope of a credible performance.

Something you may not have known is...
Thanks to a 0-0 draw with Iraq in the 2009 Confederations Cup, New Zealand can at least enter the World Cup with a FIFA tournament point to their name. In their only previous World Cup, in 1982, they were beaten three times, and it was a similar story in their previous Confederations Cup outings in 1999 and 2003. Though their poor international record can largely be put down to the fact that the country only boasts one professional football team , Wellington Phoenix, who ply their trade in the Australian A-League.

Tags: world cup betting. world cup team profiles, world cup news, world cup odds