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New Zealand's professional footballers will take on a team of amateurs when they face Fiji in Wellington on Friday seeking a place in the final of Oceania qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
The winner will play either Tahiti or New Caledonia in Auckland on Monday for a direct ticket to the global showpiece in North America.
While New Zealand are by far the strongest team in the region, they missed out on the last three World Cups after losing intercontinental playoffs.
This time the world number 89 All Whites are a shoo-in to qualify, with Oceania guaranteed a berth for the first time in the expanded, 48-team World Cup.
Amid great expectations from home fans, New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley is urging his players to focus on Fiji and ignore the bigger picture.
"We're the favourites, we've got this team of professionals and everything but it's a big game for them as well," he said at the team's final training session in Wellington on Thursday.
"We need to respect that, they're going to be organised and competitive. So we need to be ready for those challenges."
Ranked 148th, Fiji's squad includes policemen, labourers and warehouse workers but lacks their most accomplished player, Roy Krishna, a striker who played over 100 matches for A-League team Wellington Phoenix.
Fiji coach Rob Sherman, a former assistant coach at Melbourne Victory, said Krishna's untimely knee injury was a major blow but the team were in good spirits ahead of the match at Wellington Regional Stadium.
"We believe we can win. It’s about executing our game plan and believing in ourselves," he said.
New Caledonia and Tahiti meet in the first semi-final at the same venue, a match-up of French territories ranked 152nd and 153rd respectively.
New Caledonia coach Johann Sidaner said reaching the semi-finals was already a triumph for his players, who have had little club football since civil unrest broke out last year.
"We are very delighted to be here," Sidaner said.
"The group, the team, the selection is already very satisfied."
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