Soccer: Long-shots hoping to hit the net

New Zealand

Even local betting firm the TAB rates the All Whites as stark 1000-1 outsiders. In the 2006 iteration of the event Angola, ranked 60th in the world, were the lowest-ranked of the 32 competing nations. New Zealand, ranked 78th, is setting new standards in long-shots.

The All Whites play an unusual formation with three forwards and only three defenders. Rather than genius on the part of coach Ricky Herbert's, this formation is more the result of necessity. Aside from captain and central defender Ryan Nelsen, this is is cobbled-together collection of amateur players and journeymen who ply their trade in little-known leagues.

Nelsen, however, earns millions of pounds with Blackburn Rovers and should help prevent losses turning to routs. Written off by all and sundry, expectations for the team should be suitably low: Scoring a goal would be good, drawing a match would be stupendous, and winning a game should send even casual New Zealand spectators into nationalistic ecstasy.

Pool opponents

Slovakia

Not even a country until splitting from Czechoslovakia in 1993, this landlocked European state is probably best known for being the place where Andy Warhol's parents were born. First-time World Cup participants Slovakia will get their 15 minutes of New Zealand fame when they play the All Whites first up on June 15.

With only two top-flight players in midfielder Marek Hamsik and defender Martin Skrtel, they're still ranked 30th in the world. This is the only match where the chance of a New Zealand victory isn't Lotto-like.

Little-known factoid: Thanks to Kia, Volkswagen and Peugeot factories, Slovakia is the world's largest producer of cars per capita.

Italy

Author and football fanatic Nick Hornby described the team known as the Azzuri: "Their players look like pop stars, and the squad almost always includes at least two forwards whom every other country in the world would kill for ... But traditionally they play a stupefying defensive game, as if too much scoring would somehow cause people to doubt their masculinity. The Italian way is to score once, and then refuse to cross the half-way line for the remainder of the game."

Hornby wrote these words in 2002 but, if anything, the 5th-ranked Italians have since devolved.

Paraguay

New Zealanders probably know little about this South American country, but should know they beat powerhouses Brazil and Argentina in qualifying.

Known for skilful and flamboyant strikers, like Manchester City's Roque Santa Cruz, they're a scoring machine that would be stronger still had their leading scorer Salvador Cabanas not got shot in the head while in a Mexico City bar in February. Cabanas survived, but he won't be playing in this year - if ever.

Little-known factoid: Dogs outnumber people in Paraguay 7:1.