Premier League Striker Helps New Zealand Reach the 2026 World Cup
New Zealand qualified for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada after two excellent performances in the Oceania World Cup qualifiers.
New Zealand thrilled fans in Wellington with a 7-0 mullering of Fiji in the semi-final, before grinding out a 3-0 victory over New Caledonia.
The All Whites are heading to their third World Cup after appearances in 1982 and 2010. Read on as we look at three talking points from their qualification games.
Chris Wood Continues to Cement His Legacy
Nottingham Forest centre-forward Chris Wood spearheaded New Zealand to the final qualifying game with his hat-trick of headers against Fiji.
Despite suffering an apparent hip injury against New Caledonia, he continued to battle away and tried to shake it off but eventually had to come off.
The 33-year-old is New Zealand's all-time top scorer with 44 goals in 82 appearances. He is on course to eventually join a select group of players with 50 goals and 100 caps for their country.
Wood clocks up more than 100,000 miles across a season to play for New Zealand. He loves playing for his country, making the 28-hour journey less arduous.
The Forest forward will be among the favourites for the Golden Boot at the World Cup, and Kiwi sports bettors may view him as the value bet in what is always a competitive market.
New betting platforms such as Picklebet offer a fresh experience for New Zealand bettors looking to capitalise on Wood’s goalscoring prowess.
This Picklebet review highlights why it stands out in a competitive industry, and the immersive site will likely be inundated with wagers on the Kiwi striker at the World Cup.
Wood has already cemented a terrific legacy with the national team and can further etch his name into history if he can lead them into the knockout stage for the first time.
Tyler Bindon Emerges as Defensive Rock
New Zealand manager Darren Bazeley handed Reading centre-back Tyler Bindon a call-up, and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
Playing beside stalwart Michael Boxall, Bindon did not look out of place in the backline and contributed to successive clean sheets.
Bindon scored against Fiji to earmark himself as one to watch out for. He followed it with another commanding performance a few days later.
His partnership with Boxall looked solid. They will be tested at the World Cup, where the Kiwis could have their backs against the walls against stronger teams.
Bindon has been superb for Reading this term, helping them keep nine clean sheets in 37 appearances in League One. He has also scored twice.
The young centre-back has won 71 percent of his aerial and 60% of his ground duels this season. He has been remarkably consistent and will hope to keep up this excellent run of form.
Reading manager Noel Hunt had high praise for the youngster after he scored the winner in their 2-1 victory against Mansfield Town with an overhead kick.
If his impressive performances are any indication, Bindon is ready to meet them head-on. The 2026 World Cup could provide him with a platform to secure a move to a bigger club.
New Zealand Get Goals from Everywhere
There was a hush across Eden Park when Wood started showing signs of discomfort before eventually leaving the field with the scoreline at 0-0 against New Caledonia.
The All Whites did not have anyone who could directly replace him, but the goals eventually came. They showed strength in depth without their star player on the pitch.
Substitutes Kosta Barbarouses, Francis de Vries and Elijah Just made a massive impact against New Caledonia to cement the victory.
De Vries set up Michael Boxall's opener before Barbarouses doubled the lead. The trio then combined brilliantly as Just sealed the third goal.
Bazeley had a wealth of capable replacements waiting on the sidelines, including Alex Paulsen, Nando Pijnaker, Tommy Smith, Storm Roux and Jesse Randall.
They scored four goals against Fiji that weren’t from Wood. They need to find a way not to rely on him, as he will be a marked man at the World Cup.
With Finn Surman, Ben Old, Bill Tuiloma and Ryan Thomas not even in the squad, Bazeley has a deep talent pool that gives him some difficult selection decisions.