All Whites face Vanuatu in long-awaited homecoming for Chris Wood

Wood to lead New Zealand in front of home crowd for first time in six years

All Whites to play Vanuatu in Auckland on September 24

The All Whites will face Vanuatu in a long-awaited homecoming for Chris Wood in Auckland on September 24.

Wood, who plays for Newcastle United in the Premier League, has not played in front of a home crowd for the All Whites since 2017.

The match will be the All Whites' first home game since they beat Papua New Guinea 4-2 in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Christchurch in March 2022.

The All Whites are currently ranked 105th in the FIFA World Rankings, while Vanuatu are ranked 160th.

The match will be a good opportunity for the All Whites to continue their preparations for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar later this year.

The All Whites have been drawn in Group E alongside Spain, Germany and Japan.

The match against Vanuatu will be a chance for the All Whites to test themselves against a team from a different confederation.

Vanuatu are the current champions of the OFC Nations Cup.

The match will be played at Eden Park in Auckland.

Tickets for the match will go on sale on August 24.