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Chris Wood says New Zealand cannot take qualification for granted, even as the All Whites are within touching distance of a historic FIFA World Cup return.
The in-form Premier League hitman has made the trek back to home for two matches that could – and, in all likelihood, should – seal their first World Cup appearance since 2010.
New Zealand must first see off Fiji on Friday night and then beat the winner of Tahiti v New Caledonia in a winner-takes-all qualification playoff at Eden Park on Monday.
The All Whites are overwhelmingly tipped to get through, and Wood knows it.
"We know we're favourites to progress but we've got two extremely hard games in front of us, first Fiji here in Wellington," he told RNZ.
While heavyweights in a region of minnows, New Zealand have appeared just twice at the world's biggest sporting event.
They have been given a huge opportunity to reach the expanded 48-nation 2026 tournament by a change to qualification rules, which affords the tiny Oceania confederation at least one place in USA-Canada-Mexico.
Wood is in a rich vein of form with his club Nottingham Forest, giving rise to the possibility he might stay in England during this international window to prioritise his club output.
The 33-year-old said he wouldn't miss it, driven by "the love of the country" and his "want to achieve something big in footballing history".
"That's what it will be if we can get through these two games and be the third team to qualify for a World Cup, it will be absolutely fantastic," he said.
"That's a little bit of history I want to be a part of."
This season, Wood has 18 Premier League goals – behind only superstar trio Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak – as well as six strikes for New Zealand to help them through qualifying to this point.
It's a stunning return for the Kiwi journeyman, who has played for 12 different English clubs during an up-and-down career which promises further highs.
All going well, Wood will be playing in the UEFA Champions League with Forest next campaign and heading to the FIFA World Cup with his countrymen at season's end.
The proud New Zealander says he is thinking further ahead still, saying he wants to move his family to New Zealand in the future, and possibly play in the A-League Men with either Auckland FC or Wellington Phoenix.
For the first time, FIFA given some of the smallest nations a shot at sport's biggest stage.
Football
Thu, Mar 13
As the region's heavyweights, New Zealand are the hottest of favourites to book their place at the tournament.
Football
Tue, Mar 11
Reporter Simon Mercep recounts being pitch-side for the All Whites' World Cup qualifier against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.
New Zealand
Monday 11:53am
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"We're definitely going to come back and live in New Zealand and be a part of New Zealand for a year, because I want to experience being back home. If that's to do with football at the same time, that'd be fantastic," he told Stuff.
"Both teams are high on my radar if I do come back [but] I've got a lot more I want to achieve over in Europe before maybe coming back."
