Since FIFA began publishing their rankings of now 208 nations in 1993, the All Whites have achieved the feat just three times, although the fact that one of those occurred at Mt Smart Stadium is a good omen for the home side against Jamaica, who rose to 50 overnight.
The pick of these wins was a 1-0 triumph over 15th-ranked Serbia in Austria in the build up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup that gave the All Whites critical momentum heading to South Africa.
The other two times have come at the expense at arch rivals Australia with 1-0 wins to qualify for the FIFA Confederations Cup, first in 1998 in Brisbane when the Socceroos were ranked 36th then again in 2002 (ranked 50th) thanks to a Ryan Nelsen goal at the venue for this month’s international against the Reggae Boyz.
Other significant wins in All Whites history, including the 4-0 thrashing of Mexico in 1980 or memorable World Cup qualifying victories over Australia, Saudi Arabia, and China on the Road to Spain ’82, all came before the rankings system was introduced.
The more recent win over Bahrain (ranked 61 at the time) to qualify for the World Cup, or the draws against Italy (5), Slovakia (34) and Paraguay (31) at the World Cup finals will ultimately be remembered as more significant but a win over Jamaica would nonetheless be a timely fillip for an All Whites team who have slid to 120 in the rankings partly due to low activity.
“A victory over any quality nation is motivation enough for the team I’m sure,” New Zealand Football Chief Executive Grant McKavanagh says.
“The rankings show a team like Jamaica, who have been consistently in and around that top 50 for the last four or five years and can call on some exciting players, are not to be taken lightly.
“We see ourselves fitting in that 50 to 70 bracket and a win would kick start our own move back up the charts. We have up to 13 World Cup qualifiers, which carry more weighting than standard matches, forming the basis of a sustained programme of internationals over the next two years.”
Jamaica’s latest rise saw them leapfrog Honduras to be the fourth-ranked nation in CONCACAF, adding even more symbolic weight to the upcoming clash.
The winner of Oceania’s qualification zone will meet the fourth-ranked team from CONCACAF’s qualifiers in a two-legged intercontinental playoff in November 2013 to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
ASB Summer International
New Zealand v Jamaica
Mt Smart Stadium
February 29, 2012
Kick-off: 7.30pm
Ticket details
Reserved seating: Adults $29, Children $15
Embankment: Adults $25, Children $10, Family (2 adults + 2 children) $60
To purchase tickets click here
Corporate Lounge: $99 (includes carvery)
Corporate boxes: 12 person – $1600, 16 person – $2500, 26 person – $3500
Purchase from www.mtsmartstadium.com www.mtsmartstadium.com
Story courtesy of New Zealand Football.
For more on New Zealand football go to www.nzfootball.co.nz

Share