Group F contenders
Italy
Paraguay
New Zealand
Slovakia

Route to the finals
With Australia moving into the Asia qualifying zone, New Zealand have stepped up to become the most formidable team in the Oceania zone.

Their dominance was demonstrated as they won five out of six group fixtures and secured their place in the Asia/Oceania play-off.

Their opponents in that tie were Bahrain who, rather ironically, had finished behind Australia and Japan in the Asian qualifying zone. The All Whites managed to secure a 0-0 stalemate in Manama and then grab a 1-0 win in the return leg in Wellington.

Manager
Ricki Herbert played 61 times for the All Whites during his career, including during the country’s only other appearance at a World Cup finals in 1982.

Now as manager of the national team, the former defender has the opportunity to improve on the country’s previous finals campaign that saw them lose all three matches in Spain.

Player watch
There aren’t too many household names within the New Zealand squad but the fact they have qualified for South Africa 2010 demonstrates the solid unit that Ricki Herbert has built.

One player who has stood out in recent seasons, however, is forward Shane Smeltz.

Playing in Australia’s A-League for Gold Coast United, Smeltz has picked up the Golden Boot award two seasons running and also bagged eight goals during the All Whites’ World Cup qualifying campaign.

Elsewhere, centre-back captain Ryan Nelsen has been at Blackburn Rovers since 2005, the only New Zealander to achieve such longevity in the Premier League.

Competition History
First appearance: 1982
No. of appearances (inc 2010): 2
Best result: Group Stage
Matches against England: 2

Squad

Goalkeepers
1	Mark Paston	Wellington Phoenix, NZL
12	Glen Moss	Melbourne Victory, AUS
23	James Bannatyne	Team Wellington, NZL
Defenders
2	Ben Sigmund	Wellington Phoenix, NZL
3	Tony Lochhead	Wellington Phoenix, NZL
4	Winston Reid	FC Midtjylland, DEN
6	Ryan Nelsen	Blackburn Rovers, ENG
17	David Mulligan	Wellington Phoenix, NZL
18	Andy Boyens	New York Red Bulls, USA
19	Tommy Smith	Ipswich Town, ENG
Midfielders
5	Ivan Vicelich	Auckland City, NZL
7	Simon Elliott	Unattached
8	Tim Brown	Wellington Phoenix, NZL
11	Leo Bertos	Wellington Phoenix, NZL
13	Andy Barron	Team Wellington, NZL
15	Michael McGlinchey	Motherwell, SCO
16	Aaron Clapham	Canterbury United, NZL
20	Chris Wood	West Bromwich Albion, ENG
21	Jeremy Christie	FC Tampa Bay, USA
Forwards
9	Shane Smeltz	Gold Coast United, AUS
10	Chris Killen	Middlesbrough, ENG
14	Rory Fallon	Plymouth Argyle, ENG
22	Jeremy Brockie	Newcastle Jets, AUS