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New Zealand welcome Tahiti to VFF Freshwater Stadium for a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Friday. The hosts were last in action when they shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw against the USA in a friendly in the last international window in September.
They went behind to Christian Pulisic's 69th-minute strike while Ben Waine drew the game level in the 89th minute.
Tahiti, meanwhile, have not been in action since claiming a 2-1 comeback victory over Fiji in the 2024 OFC Nations Cup third-place playoff game in June 2024. Roy Krishna put Fiji ahead in the 58th minute while Teaonui Tehau drew the game level in the 72nd minute before scoring the match-winner with seven minutes left on the clock.
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The Iron Warriors will get back to action in the World Cup qualifiers and have been drawn alongside New Zealand, Vanuatu and Samoa in Group B. The top two in the group advance to the next round of the qualifiers.
New Zealand vs Tahiti Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two sides have clashed on 20 occasions in the past. New Zealand have 14 wins to their name, and Tahiti were victorious twice while four games were drawn.
- Their most recent meeting came in June 2024 when New Zealand claimed a 5-0 victory in the OFC Nations Cup semifinal.
- New Zealand have kept a clean sheet in the last 10 head-to-head games (eight wins).
- New Zealand form guide: D-L-W-W-W Tahiti form guide: W-L-L-D-W
- Four of Tahiti's last five games have witnessed more goals scored in the first half than the second.
- Five of New Zealand's last six games have produced three goals or more.
New Zealand vs Tahiti Prediction
New Zealand dropped one spot to 91st in the latest FIFA World Rankings. Darren Bazeley's side are the firm favorites to top this qualification group as the All Whites seek to qualify for a third FIFA World Cup and first since 2010.
Tahiti (ranked 158th) are the underdogs here and are seeking a first goal against their hosts since 1995, while conceding 33 goals in this period.
Barring an unlikely upset, there should only be one winner here. We are backing the home side to claim a comfortable victory in addition to a clean sheet.
Prediction: New Zealand 3-0 Tahiti
New Zealand vs Tahiti Betting Tips
Tip 1 - New Zealand to win
Tip 2 - Both teams to score: No
Tip 3 - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 4 - Halftime/Fulltime result: New Zealand/New Zealand
