No pain, no gain: All Whites must turn crushing loss to Haiti into FIFA World Cup fuel
Thursday, 4 June 2026
The All Whites’ suffered their worst defeat in nine years in losing 4-0 to Haiti in Florida on Tuesday.
The crushing loss came two weeks out from the start of their first FIFA World Cup campaign since 2010.
Coach Darren Bazeley making wholesale changes during the match was a factor in the second-half collapse.
The All Whites must find motivation in the pain of losing, with their second and final warm-up match coming against world No 4 England this weekend.
ANALYSIS: No pain, no gain.
Those words have been heard plenty around the All Whites’ camp in their first week in Florida – and now they have taken on a whole new meaning, after their crushing 4-0 loss to Haiti on Tuesday night in Fort Lauderdale.
What they’ve actually been saying, of course, is “No Payne, no gain” – a refrain from the chant about fullback Tim Payne born out of his sudden online fame as the “least-known” player headed to the FIFA World Cup.
That feel-good story made for plenty of laughs as the All Whites went about their work in Boca Raton starting last Friday. But it has now been overtaken by a sense of concern that can be captured in three questions.
What the hell happened at lnter Miami Stadium that led to them suffering their worst defeat in nine years?
And can they really go from this – a heavy loss to the next-worst ranked team in the World Cup – to being competitive with Iran – the 19th-best ranked out of 48 – in the space of 13 days?
Especially when the next five will be consumed by their second warm-up friendly, in Tampa against world No 4 England – one of the handful of sides with a realistic chance of lifting the World Cup trophy in mid-July?
Everyone will have thought it since the fulltime whistle blew: If Haiti can put four past New Zealand, surely Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and co could score more?
In the last 20 years, the list of teams to have scored that many against the All Whites reads as follows: Brazil in 2006. Costa Rica and Venezuela in 2007. Italy and Spain in 2009. Mexico, twice, in 2013. Japan in 2014. Portugal in 2017. And now Haiti in 2026.
It was a joyous occasion for the Caribbean nation, ranked just two places above the All Whites by FIFA. With around 16,000 fans in the stands, this was effectively the home game they haven’t been able to play for the last three years, due to civil unrest and gang violence; a celebration ahead of their first World Cup in 52 years.
Duke Lacroix’s late goal took this from the All Whites’ worst loss in two years to their worst loss in nine. It is instructive that two of the other three goals also came in the second half, after New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley made six changes, leaving him with a lineup that won’t be seen come the World Cup.
He had understandable reasons for operating that way. His eyes are on the bigger picture, with the Iran match – and the two to follow in group G against Egypt and Belgium – prioritised above all else. But this was the latest sign there is a notable drop off in quality in the All Whites’ ranks once you get past the starting XI and the five subs they’re allowed in competitive matches.
It shouldn’t be forgotten that the All Whites were strong enough in the first half with their first-choice players on the field to have responded to going behind. Chris Wood, Jesse Randall and Marko Stamenić all went close. Seeking solace in the first 45 minutes wouldn’t be irrational.
Later on, when there was a Callan Elliot-Michael Boxall-Nando Pijnaker-Francis de Vries back four and a Matt Garbett-Lachlan Bayliss midfield pairing, there was little to be gleamed that will be useful going forward.
At the same time, in a match when you would have expected players to be wanting to put in strong individual performances to secure World Cup starts, no-one really delivered one that screamed ‘pick me,’ not even in the first half. There was something missing across the board that needs to be found in a hurry, with just two training sessions on the cards before they face England.
This match will have provided no clarity as to whether Max Crocombe or Alex Paulsen should be the World Cup goalkeeper.
Finn Surman has become Bazeley’s main man in the centre of defence, but he had his worst night for the national team at almost the worst possible time. Fellow centre backs Boxall and Tyler Bindon didn’t always cover themselves in glory either. De Vries had a rough 45 minutes deputising for Liberato Cacace and Ben Old might find himself needed there if the leading man runs into trouble. Right back remains the country’s weakest position.
Joe Bell – who is set to play against England – and Ryan Thomas – only due to be available for Iran – were missed in midfield. Alex Rufer was better than in his last outing, against Ecuador in November, but is a step below them when it comes to operating in tight spaces and reading the play. This match showed why Bell and Thomas are being wrapped in cotton wool.
The one area where the drop-off isn’t as glaring is in attacking midfield, where second-half substitutes Garbett, Old and Callum McCowatt all offered glimpses of quality, however brief.
One nightmare result should not erase all the promise this group of players have shown over recent years, though it is a reminder it has mostly been promise, not results.
They have got to where they are by being incredibly level-headed, not getting too high after wins and not getting too down after defeats. They have also responded on the few occasions when they’ve been this bad during Bazeley’s time in charge.
They won’t be panicking. But they’ll also have been stripped of any illusions about where they are at and the size of the task ahead of them. At the same time, external expectations will have been lowered, which might be a good thing.
The All Whites felt pain against Haiti. Now they must show they have gained from it.
If not against England (kickoff 8am Sunday NZ time), then absolutely against Iran in just under two weeks’ time – an eternity for a team used to operating in nine-day windows.