Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse, New Zealand Football is about to slump to an all new low.
When the new FIFA rankings are released on November 5, the All Whites will register at 159, their lowest ever ranking according to football-rankings.info.
To put this in perspective, New Zealand's lowest previous ranking was 156 in September 2007. It came following an infamous tour to South and Central America which saw the All Whites lose 4-0 to Costa Rica and 5-0 to Venezuela.
Coach Anthony Hudson's bothered by the ranking but, somewhat surprisingly, says it's something that's out of his control.
"We play less games than everyone around us, we don't play in every window. Since I've been here we've not played in three windows," Hudson said.
"When we're sat here in January and all the Asian teams are playing Asian Cup, or we're sat here in October and other teams are playing around us, we can't affect those moments because we're not together so it's not a real, true reflection of where we are."
The All Whites will face Oman in Muscat on November 13 (NZT). Ranked 102 in the world and currently top of their Asian World Cup qualifying group, Oman will present a significant challenge for the team in their sixth match under Hudson, who's still searching for his first win as All Whites coach.
"I know where we're at, and I know we're doing the right things. I believe in my work, I believe in the way we're playing I believe we will be ready for the qualifiers," Hudson said.
Watch the video for the full interview.
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