And they will be playing in Estadio Azteca in Mexico City – a stadium with a capacity of 105,000 and perched 7,200 feet above sea level and set to be full of patriotic Mexicans intent on disrupting the visiting Kiwis concentration.
Not to mention the fact that Mexico have only ever suffered two losses at the Azteca in 78 World Cup qualifying matches.
It won’t compare to anything this side has experienced in the past and coach Ricki Herbert is under no illusions about the towering task his side is facing.
“Arguably in my tenure and as a player, this would be the most difficult qualification game that New Zealand’s ever had,” he said ahead of the side’s arrival in Mexico overnight.
The altitude is expected to cause trouble with the All Whites’ team doctor Mark Fulcher saying the side faces an uphill battle.
“It’s harder to breath, the respiratory rate changes, your heart rate goes up…essentially for any level of exercise, you are potentially more fatigued.
“For athletes, the simple equation is that you will become more fatigued, more quickly and performance will drop over a period of time.”
This is not a new experience for the Kiwis who were confronted with difficult climatic conditions during Stage 2 of the World Cup qualifiers, the OFC Nations Cup, in Honiara mid-2012.
Midfielder Leo Bertos said the side has experience of being altitude in recent years which should help them adapt.
“We know it’s going to be tough but we can’t be intimidated. It’s a huge challenge for us.”
Following the hiccup in Honiara which saw the All Whites finish third behind Tahiti and New Caledonia, it was relatively smooth sailing for the remainder of the qualifiers. They recorded six wins from as many games during Stage 3, their most recent qualifying clash being a 2-0 win over the Solomon Islands in front of 5,600 people in Honiara.
For Mexico, a side which has reached six consecutive FIFA World Cups, it has been a much bumpier ride.
Current coach Miguel Herrera is the fourth in just five games and they team had to rely on the USA’s late heroics to even earn a place in this play-off. They won just two games of ten in the final stages of qualifying to finish fourth behind USA, Costa Rica and Honduras.
In an interesting twist Herrera chose to shun the likes of Manchester United’s Javier Hernandez, sticking instead with players from Mexico’s domestic league only. A core group of those players have come from Club America which Herrera coaches in Liga MX.
The goal is to achieve continuity and with the side having been able to spend a week in camp ahead of this match his decision may yet pay off.
And these aren’t the only barriers standing between the All Whites and an historic victory on Mexican soil.
Herbert lost captain and defender Winston Reid to injury just days before the team were scheduled to unite in Los Angeles and experienced striker Chris Killen and young utility Tim Payne have also been ruled out. He has quality in attack, but Marco Rojas, Chris Wood and Shane Smeltz have only recently come back from injuries.
Given they have such a daunting job ahead, the All Whites squad are upbeat and relishing the opportunity to take on such a storied side in the fabled Azteca.
One player who has experienced the thrill of the Mexico fan-following before is veteran midfielder Ivan Vicelich.
“We’re the underdogs, big underdogs, against Mexico,” he said.
“They’re a team that are high quality, they’ve been to a lot of World Cups consistently so for us it’s going to be a very difficult task. We need to have something special happen of both of these nights and have a bit of luck on our side and we need the guys to really perform and battle for each other.
“The record’s not good against them, but obviously football is full of surprises and we need to turn the results around and get some good ones.”
The All Whites vs. Mexico kicks off at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on 13 November at 2.30pm. The match will be screened live on Sky Sport 2 at 9.30am on Thursday, 14 November in New Zealand.
The return match is being held at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium seven days later on Wednesday, 20 November at 7pm.

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