WELLINGTON, March 19, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Heartbreaking near-misses will fire "hurting" New Zealand to their first football World Cup since 2010, their coach Darren Bazeley said on Wednesday, with the country two wins from the finals.

Led by Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood, New Zealand are strong favourites to beat amateurs Fiji on Friday in Wellington and then seal qualification for 2026 by beating another regional minnow on Monday.

The World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico has been expanded to 48 teams, meaning direct qualification for the best team from Oceania.

Previously the side that topped qualifying in Oceania would have to go through an intercontinental play-off, with New Zealand consequently missing out on recent World Cups at the final hurdle.

"What we have now is a lot of players who experienced the hurt of not qualifying, whether that was (against) Mexico, Peru or Costa Rica, and it hurts, the players are hurting," said the Englishman Bazeley.

"Some of the players know that they missed out on these moments, so that makes it more challenging for Fiji, knowing that we have a team that won't be complacent.

"They are ready and know they have this opportunity in front of them, and they are ready to take it."

He added: "It's a been a while since we went to the World Cup and we are determined to go back there."

New Zealand have been to the World Cup twice, in 1982 and 2010, but are yet to win a game on the biggest stage of all.

They are ranked 89th in the world and will be expected to easily beat a Fiji side ranked 148th and whose players include police officers and construction workers.

That would set up a decisive match, in Auckland, with either New Caledonia or Tahiti next week for a World Cup spot.

Captain Wood, who is enjoying the best season of his career at age 33, called the two matches "massive for us as a nation".

"Those hardships that you go through strive you on for bigger and better things, and that's what this moment has in time," said the striker, who is among the top scorers this season in the Premier League with 18 goals.

"We've got a chance on Friday to do something great and I do believe Oceania should have automatic entry (to the World Cup) since a long time ago.

"This is truly a fair way of doing it and our confederation should be represented in some sort of way."

Wood is the sole remaining member of the New Zealand squad from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.