Planning underway for World Cup

All Whites coach Ricki Herbert says preparations are well underway for New Zealand's FIFA World Cup campaign but expects the process to shift gears after the final draw is made in Cape Town on December 5 (NZT)

Herbert, members of All Whites management and NZF officials met today to discuss plans to prepare the team for New Zealand's second appearance at a FIFA World Cup.

New Zealand's World Cup opposition and venues won't be known until the glitzy final draw in the republic Africa's tourism capital and even training camp location and friendly opposition will be influenced and in some cases dictated by the draw.

"It's great to get the planning ball rolling and I think we're in a good place to be able to move swiftly whatever the draw throws at us," Herbert said.

"There are ten venues and 31 other teams so the permutations are huge. But we've got guidelines and priorities in place to make sure we get what we need."

All Whites assistant coach Brian Turner will deputise for Herbert at the draw, given the latter's commitments with the Wellington Phoenix, while NZF Chairman Frank van Hattum and High Performance Manager Alex Chiet will work with Turner to put things in place once New Zealand's name is matched up with three others from the 32 finalists.