The All Whites face Papua New Guinea on Friday, 18th March with kick-off set for 2pm local time, before taking on Fiji on Monday, 21st March, with kick-off in that contest set for 5pm.

Wood’s side will then play New Caledonia at 5pm on Thursday, 24th March, with all three fixtures set to take place at the Suheim Bin Hamad stadium in Qatar.

Should New Zealand progress by finishing in the top two of their four-nation qualification group, they could face a semi-final on Sunday, 27th March and potentially a final on Wednesday, 30th March as they bid to secure their place at the World Cup finals in Qatar later this year.

Wood, who is just one goal shy of Vaughn Coveny’s all-time record of 29 for New Zealand, is set to join up with the squad on Saturday, 19th March – two days after the Magpies' Premier League game at Everton – meaning he will miss his country's group opener against Papua New Guinea.