New Zealand Edges Closer to World Cup Qualification as Wood’s Hat-Trick Dominates Fiji

Chris Wood netted a hat-trick of headers as New Zealand cruised to a 7-0 thrashing of Fiji, putting them one victory away from the World Cup on Friday.

The Kiwis are set to take on 152nd-ranked New Caledonia in Auckland on Monday, vying for a spot in the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Following his three-goal haul, Wood was substituted with just under half an hour to go, yet the Nottingham Forest striker took the opportunity to climb into the stands in Wellington to sign autographs for fans.

Ranked 89th in the FIFA standings, New Zealand are the clear favourites to secure their third World Cup appearance, having previously qualified in 1982 and 2010.

Despite their successes in qualifying, they have yet to win a match at the tournament, having competed six times.

There was little doubt in the outcome against an amateur Fiji side comprised of police officers and construction workers.

At the age of 33, Wood is experiencing the best season of his career, and he opened the scoring just six minutes in with a free header. He added two more with similar efforts in the 56th and 60th minutes, bringing his international tally to 44 goals in 81 appearances.

In addition, Wood has scored 18 goals in the Premier League this season, propelling Nottingham Forest into contention for Champions League qualification.

Other scorers for New Zealand included Sarpreet Singh, Tyler Bindon, Tim Payne, and Kosta Barbarouses.

In the first semi-final of the Oceania qualifying tournament, New Caledonia managed to secure a 3-0 victory against Tahiti, scoring all three of their goals in the second half.

The upcoming World Cup will feature an expanded format with 48 teams, allowing the winner of the Oceania qualifying competition to gain direct entry.

In the past, the region’s top team had to navigate through an intercontinental playoff, with New Zealand narrowly missing out against Mexico, Costa Rica, and Peru in recent tournaments.