New Zealand players celebrate winning OFC Qualifiers Final at Eden Park Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz
For many of the more than 25,000 fans that packed the stands at Eden Park on Monday night to witness the All Whites qualify for next year's Football World Cup with 3-0 victory over New Caledonia, this one was a long time coming.
Fans had been waiting 15 years since New Zealand's last World Cup appearance and for many they still rated that South Africa campaign in 2010 as a highlight of their life.
- Look back at how the match unfolded with RNZ's liveblog
After three failed world cup qualification campaigns since the New Zealand were last on football's biggest stage, it was also a relief for some of the side's veteran players that they got the job done.
Defender Michael Boxall, who has played more than 50 times for New Zealand, picked the right moment to score his first goal for his country when he broke the deadlock in 61st minute.
"Took a long ass time but I got there," Boxall quipped post-match.
Kosta Barbarouses came off the bench to replace captain and prolific goal-scorer Chris Wood, who has a hip injury, and scored the All Whites' second goal five minutes after their first.
"Feels like a culmination of 15 years of work into one moment really for me, a lot of ups and downs and to help contribute to get to where we want to go is pretty special, pretty emotional and just an amazing feeling to be honest," Barbarouses said.
All Whites fans celebrate New Zealand qualifying for the 2026 Football World Cup Photo: Alan Lee / www.photosport.nz
The All Whites are the second team - outside of the hosts USA, Canada and Mexico - to qualify for the expanded 48-team tournament.
Japan were the first, securing their place last week via the Asia Football Confederation qualification pathway.
With 15 months until the world cup kicks off All Whites coach Darren Bazeley said the achievement was still sinking in.
"So I've watched every world cup, it's the biggest sporting event in the world not just the biggest football event, it's the biggest sporting event in the world and we're going.
"I probably hasn't really dawned on me what that actually means because we've been so focussed on just getting the job done and it's my job to get us there and I feel like whilst it's really nice now and it's a reward, it was my responsibility to help get us there so that's quite satisfying - but we always want more."
Twenty-year-old Tyler Bindon can ask his mum Jenny Bindon, a former Football Ferns goalkeeper, what it takes to perform at a world cup.
She has been there and done that.
But the youngster who is signed to Nottingham Forest does not seem the type to the let the big moments overwhelm him.
"I think you always feel nerves at the start of the game but it's more excitement than anything once you start it's just a game of football at the end of the day so it's just with one ball and two goals so it's what I'm used to."
New Zealand celebrate qualification. Photo: Shane Wenzlick / www.photosport.nz
New Zealand Football gets just over $18 million for qualifying, with around 40 percent of the windfall going to the players.
More money will fill the coffers depending on how far the All Whites go in the tournament.
For those players who did not feature in the qualifiers but want to be on the plane for the world cup, Bazeley has a simple message.
"I think they've just got to keep working keep playing for their clubs keep performing at club level because we'll have windows where we'll select squads and there will be opportunities to stake a claim."
The All Whites will get a preview of one of the world cup host cities in June when they are next in action against Côte d'Ivoire and Ukraine in the Canadian Shield in Toronto.
