Football: All Whites to play Oman before World Cup intercontinental playoff against Costa Rica

All Whites head coach Danny Hay.
All Whites head coach Danny Hay. Photo credit: Getty Images

The All Whites have confirmed they will play Oman as a second warm-up, before the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 intercontinental playoff against Costa Rica.

Ranked 101st in the world, New Zealand will face the 75th-ranked Middle Eastern side on June 10 (NZ time) at Doha, Qatar, but the game will be played behind closed doors and will not be broadcast live.

The match follows the first friendly against Peru on June 6 at Barcelona, Spain, which will be the first time the team have played in front of a crowd since 2019, with 25,000 tickets already sold.

"We are really pleased to lock in this match against another high-quality opposition ahead of a massive game against Costa Rica," said head coach Danny Hay.

"It is vital that we challenge ourselves ahead of the intercontinental playoff, but also have the opportunity to try things out. These two games against Peru and Oman should allow us to do both.

"Having the opportunity to give minutes to members of the wider squad is really important, as you never know what can happen during a game. 

"We need the entire squad match fit, battle-hardened and pushing to make the starting XI against Costa Rica."

Kickoff time and venue for the game will be announced over coming days.