The All Whites now know what they have to do to become the first country to qualify for a FIFA World Cup directly out of Oceania.
New Zealand were drawn with Tahiti, Vanuatu and the round one winner in Group B in Oceania's World Cup Qualifying when the official draw was carried out in Zurich, Switzerland on Thursday.
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For the first time, Oceania will have a guaranteed spot at the expanded 48-team 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Previously the Oceania winner had to win a two-leg Intercontinental Playoff to qualify.
The All Whites did that to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, beating Bahrain 1-0 on aggregate, the last time an Oceania team played on the world stage.
New Zealand's third group stage opponent will be determined in September when the four lowest-ranked of Oceania's 11 nations - Cook Islands, American Samoa, Samoa and Tonga - meet in a knockout format in Apia, Samoa.
The group stage matches will be played during FIFA's October and November international windows, with the top-two advancing to the semifinals, to be played in 2025. Group stage matches, host venues and kick-off times are yet to be confirmed.
Solomon Island, Fiji, New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea were drawn in Group A.
The Oceania runner-up will contest the FIFA Intercontinental Playoff, a chance to give the confederation a historic second World Cup representative in 2026.
Last month, the All Whites swept through Oceania to claim the OFC Nations Cup, scoring 15 goals and conceding zero. They defeated Vanuatu twice (4-0 in group play and 3-0 in the final) and Tahiti once (5-0 in the semifinals).
The All Whites will play Mexico in Los Angeles and the USA in Cincinnati in international friendlies during FIFA's September window.
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