'This is my fifth attempt to get to a World Cup. So I'm really sort of emotional, very happy and sort of had flashbacks of the last 15 years.'
New Zealand qualified for the 2026 World Cup on Monday with a 3-0 defeat of New Caledonia as veterans Michael Boxall and Kosta Barbarouses scored in a second-half burst to help the All Whites return to the finals for the first time since 2010.
Boxall scored his first goal for New Zealand in his 55th international with a header on the hour-mark before Barbarouses volleyed over the goalkeeper five minutes later to send a crowd of more than 25,000 into ecstasy at Eden Park.
Substitute Elijah Just added the third goal in the 80th minute to ensure New Zealand advance to their third World Cup following the 1982 and 2010 finals.
New Zealand missed out on the last three World Cups after defeats in intercontinental playoffs.
But with Oceania given a berth at the finals for the first time, the All Whites were a shoo-in as the region's dominant team.
New Zealand became the second nation through to the tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, with Japan qualifying with a home win over Bahrain last week.
"We're going to another World Cup. I'm ecstatic," said 35-year-old winger Barbarouses, who missed out on selection for New Zealand's World Cup squad in 2010.
"This is my fifth attempt to get to a World Cup. So I'm really sort of emotional, very happy and sort of had flashbacks of the last 15 years.
"I'm very happy to contribute and help the team get over the line."
New Zealand's players put on white T-shirts emblazoned with "Qualified" and sprayed champagne on each other.
The celebrations were tempered slightly with an apparent hip injury to captain Chris Wood who limped off early in the second half.
Ranked 152nd in the world and dominated by amateur footballers, New Caledonia battled hard to keep the match scoreless for more than 60 minutes of the Oceania final.
The French territory will have another chance to qualify via intercontinental playoffs.
"We knew it was going to be hard against New Zealand on their home soil," said coach Johann Sidaner.
"We've got time to think about the playoffs for 2026."
New Zealand scored quickly in their 7-0 win over Fiji in the Oceania semi-finals last week but they had to wait on Monday as early chances went begging.
Boxall bounced a header over the bar in the 14th minute while Marko Stamenic had two headers saved on the line six minutes later.
Wood sent a third header pinging off the right post and a fourth flying over the bar late in the half.
Home fans grew restless as the game remained locked into the second half but New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley's substitutions ultimately paid off.
Francis de Vries came off the bench to produce the corner kick that set up Boxall's goal.
Wood's replacement, Barbarouses, latched onto a through ball from his Wellington Phoenix teammate Tim Payne and volleyed over the rushing keeper Rocky Nyikeine.
Barbarouses followed up by laying off the pass that set up Just's strike.
While speaking of his joy, Barbarouses also apologised to his four-year-old daughter Luna for missing her birthday.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be there for your birthday today but I'm sure I've more than made it up to you," he said.
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