Fifa World Cup: All Whites to play Haiti in World Cup warm-up match

The All Whites celebrate a goal in their 4-1 win over Chile at Eden Park. Photo / Photosport

The All Whites will play Haiti for the first time as one of their lead-up matches to the Fifa World Cup.

The New Zealanders take on the Caribbean side, who are ranked No 83 in the world, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on June 3.

The match is just four days before the All Whites play England in their second warm-up game before their opening World Cup fixture against Iran nine days later.

The All Whites are ranked No 85 in the world, while England are fourth.

Haiti are playing in the World Cup for the first time in 52 years, with their sole appearance being in West Germany in 1974. They qualified for this year’s Cup in dramatic fashion, needing to win their final two games and have other matches go their way. They will play Scotland, Brazil, and Morocco in their pool games.

“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,” All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley said.

“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.

“Having both games in Florida is hugely beneficial as it means we don’t lose any of our preparation time with travel days, and the players can properly rest and recover between matches.

“It is great to finally confirm the full schedule, and I know that the staff and the players can’t wait to get on the plane and get going.”

The All Whites will travel to their World Cup base camp in San Diego after the England match.

Their 26-player squad is expected to be announced within the next two weeks.

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