In the early morning of January 29, Beijing time, a friendly matchup between Jordan and New Zealand began to compete. Neither team ranks high in world football, with Jordan fifa ranking 90th and New Zealand 110th. In the end, 90 minutes later, New Zealand lost 3-1, losing the last warm-up match before the World Preliminary Round, ending the previous three-game winning streak.
In the previous Asian Top 40, Jordan was in the same group as Australia and Kuwait. As a result, after 8 rounds of competition, Jordan did not qualify for the round of 12 and bid farewell to the 2022 World Cup early. In the previous Arab Cup, Jordan also performed badly, although they qualified from the group, they lost to Egypt in the round of 8 and were eliminated.
After Australia moved to Asia, New Zealand was undoubtedly the number one football team in Oceania. In New Zealand's history, they have only had 2 World Cup experiences. In particular, the 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa was drawn with Italy, Paraguay and Slovakia. For a team participating in the World Cup for the second time, such a result is bound to satisfy the country's fans.
In the current New Zealand team, the number one superstar is undoubtedly Chris Wood, who has just moved to Newcastle. Chris Wood, a perennial member of the middle and lower Premier League teams, knows exactly how to lead a weaker team to fight back. New Zealand's strengths do not have an advantage in world football, but Wood knows how to lead the team to victory.
Although Oceania only has half a place, New Zealand's chances of participating in the World Cup are still far greater than those of the national football team in Asia. In the Oceania division, a total of 7 teams compete, and they will always decide the final winner, competing with the nearby teams in the North American division for a Place in the World Cup.
For the national football team in the Asian region, although we can theoretically compete for 4.5 qualifying places, considering the strength of the opponent, it is actually difficult to qualify. In contrast, New Zealand, although they are only 0.5 places in Oceania, are still a big favorite for World Cup promotion. After all, among the opponents in Oceania, solomon islands, which ranked second in the comprehensive strength division, have also ranked 141st in the world, and such an opponent has not given the national football team the result of a big victory in minutes.