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FIFA World Cup 2026 poster'A long way off': Five takeaways from All Whites loss to Haiti
Riccardo Ball •  June 3rd, 2026 3:17 pm
Tim Payne appeals for a penalty against Haiti | Photo: Carl Kafka/Photosport
This was the All Whites' first match since the 4-1 win over Chile at Eden Park in March and Darren Bazeley’s side looked a long way off that performance.
Haiti are ranked 83rd in the FIFA rankings, so this was a match Kiwi fans, and I dare say coaching staff, will have been looking at as a winnable test to inject some confidence into the squad ahead of England and the group stage.
What we got instead was disappointment and a sense of dread looking at games against two top 10 and two top 30 nations to come.
Here are 5 takeaways from New Zealand's 4-0 defeat to Haiti in Florida.
1. Defensive organisation
Tim Payne was caught wrong side of his man and Finn Surman wasn’t quick enough to react to block the shot for first goal.
That was followed by what looked a real lack of communication between Michael Boxall and Francis de Vries for the second, while Surman was guilty of losing his man for the third Haitian goal.
The fourth was a great hit but the ball can’t be allowed to travel across the penalty area with a risk of interception - not one Kiwi defender got close to that ball.
2. Lack of pace
This was particularly in midfield and really noticeable when Haiti launched counter attacks from New Zealand corners and free kicks.
The one booking of the game was for Alex Rufer in this exact situation and he grabbed his opponent around the waist to prevent a quick break.
Top-end pace can’t be coached and Darren Bazeley doesn’t have a heap of options to help with that - Lachlan Bayliss might be a potential fix for this, but that would mean that one of Joe Bell or Ryan Thomas would have to start from the bench.
New Zealand head coach Darren Bazeley speaks with Callan Elliott | Photo: Carl Kafka/Photosport
3. Possession
Possession is key in football, but that's nothing new. It’s even more key when playing at the height of summer in North and Central America.
The pitch didn’t look the best at Fort Lauderdale, and Haiti also struggled with some of their passing game as well, but a loose pass can be extremely costly here especially (as discussed above) when you’re not exactly blessed with pace.
Ryan Thomas coming back into the side should help that but I think that one thing Bazeley and Co. will identify off the back of this match is improving their option taking as much as execution of the passing game.
4. Take your chances
For all the things that I’ve mentioned above, it’s not like the All Whites didn’t have chances here. In fact you could argue they dominated most of the first half and should have led at the halftime whistle.
Haiti had 13 shots to New Zealand’s 12, but half of our shots were off target and didn’t test the keeper.
Jesse Randall had a great chance that he sidefooted high. Bayliss, de Vries, and Callum McCowatt also had shots clear the crossbar, while Matt Garbett and Sarpreet Singh had shots go wide.
Some of this goes back to option taking again and execution of the final ball - improve that and the result could’ve been much different.
Jesse Randall takes on Haiti | Photo: Carl Kafka / Photosport
5. Three minute hydration breaks
FIFA have effectively made football a game of quarters rather than halves. Player welfare is important - I get it and if they do it in one game, they have to (in the name of fairness) in all of them.
From what we’ve seen so far, hydration seems the third most important reason for these match interruptions.
Second is coaches getting another bite at their team talks and reorganising their side, but the cynic in me thinks the main reason FIFA have embraced this so readily is the all important mid-game ads for US TV.
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