All Whites chase richest prize in New Zealand sporting history, as Fifa World Cup qualifying gets under way

The All Whites celebrate Ben Waine's equaliser against the USA. Photo / Photosport

The All Whites’ road to a possible $20 million bonanza is about to begin.

Their Fifa World Cup qualifying campaign starts tomorrow when they take on Tahiti in their first group match, in Vanuatu. Much of the focus will be on ending the long wait to appear at Fifa’s global showpiece, which seems closer than ever thanks to direct qualification for the Oceania champion. But the financial impact of being part of the extravaganza in the United States, Canada and Mexico can’t be ignored or underestimated, as they chase the richest prize in New Zealand sporting history.

New Zealand Football received US$8 million ($13m) for their efforts in South Africa in 2010, where Ricki Herbert’s team managed draws with Slovakia, Italy and Paraguay. Even after the players’ share was deducted (around 40%) it was a massive windfall, which funded the sport (and both the All Whites and Football Ferns international programmes) for many years.

The rewards in 2026 will be even greater. Participating nations at the last World Cup in Qatar received a minimum of US$9m ($14.7m) and that is expected to rise, given Fifa has already committed to a 20% increase in the total fund allocated to prizemoney and the compensation payments to clubs, from US$750m in Qatar to US$896m in 2026.

Former All Whites captain Ryan Nelsen celebrates qualification for the 2010 Fifa World Cup. Photo / NZPA

It’s predicted to be in excess of US$10m ($16.33m), along with at least US$1m for preparation costs ahead of the tournament for qualified nations. On top of that there are the new sponsorship and commerical deals – NZF gained several new sponsors leading into 2010 – along with the priceless exposure, the opportunities to play high profile preparation matches and the gravitas.

It amounts to the biggest dividend in New Zealand sport, by a considerable distance.

Darren Bazeley’s team also face a vastly different route to the tournament. Ahead of the 1982 World Cup, John Adshead’s trailblazers faced a marathon 14 matches across two phases, before the epic playoff against China in Singapore. No country had travelled so far (more than 150,000km) or played as many games to qualify in World Cup history, while goalkeeper Richard Wilson went nine qualifying matches (921 minutes) without conceding a goal at one point, a record that still stands today.

The road to the 2010 World Cup saw six home and away games against Oceania nations, before the nerve-shredding intercontinental playoff against Bahrain, with the epic 1-0 win in Wellington after the 0-0 draw in Manama.

This edition is much abridged. The All Whites have three group matches (against Tahiti, Vanuatu and Samoa), with the top two progressing to the last four, along with first and second from the other section (Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Fiji). From there it is straight knockout, with the semifinals and final staged in Auckland next March.

The All Whites will be heavy favourites, with their large contingent of overseas professionals and the sudden-death matches at home. But the format also presents a potential banana skin with the one-off semifinals and final. It will be viewed as an easy road – particularly by European and South American countries – but Oceania’s place at the top table is long overdue and it will be up to the eventual qualifier to justify it in North America in 2026.

Phoenix captain and All Whites midfielder Alex Rufer. Photo / Photosport

“You still have to deliver,” observed Wellington Phoenix captain and All Whites midfielder Alex Rufer, when asked about the shorter and simpler path. “People think it is easy but it is not – you still have to perform. It’s a big bonus for us is that a lot of games are at home – less travel, good fields, home crowd – but we are confident. As long as we play the way we want to play, that will be enough.

“As a footballer we have no say [in the format] but it doesn’t matter who you are playing or where you are playing, the mentality is always the same – you play to win. Obviously, with these games and the importance of them, it’s about making sure we do win and get to the World Cup. The mentality is the main thing and we have got that.”