Fresh from a 7-0 destruction of Fiji, the All Whites face another Pacific minnow in the single-match qualifier to decide the region's representative: New Caledonia.
On Friday, Les Cagous won their semi-final against Francophone rivals Tahiti 3-0 to be within touching distance of the biggest show in sport.
If win at Eden Park, New Caledonia will debut at the World Cup as the smallest and lowest-ranked side ever to make one.
It would also come less than a year after unrest which devastated the capital Noumea and left more than a dozen dead and a political impasse which remains unresolved.
"We have to give hope," Jekob Jeno said.
Midfielder Mickael Partodikromo said it was "an amazing moment we've all been dreaming for".
"It was amazing because we've been playing for our country. As you know we've been through a tough situation back home. So that's for our people, our country."
They aren't without a puncher's chance, particularly with the talents of Georges Gope-Fenepej buzzing around up top.
Gope-Fenepej scored a brace against Tahiti with a pair of chipped efforts that would comfortably fit on the highlights reel of weekend goals from any of the world's professional leagues.
However, the reality is he may not see much of the ball should regional heavyweights New Zealand repeat their ruthless showing against Fiji.
Chris Wood led the way with a goal inside six minutes, completing a hat-trick of headers shortly after halftime before taking his leave.
The Hamilton-raised striker, in the form of his life and sitting fourth in this season's English Premier League goalscoring charts, urged discipline.
"We came here to do a job," he said.
"We've had a project for the last couple of years ... we're one game away from where we'd like to be."Â
While New Zealand are yet to achieve a pass mark for their qualifying efforts, the New Caledonians are already in dreamland.
The nation of 300,000 people, world ranking 152, has never been so close to a World Cup.
New Zealand have played at just two World Cups - 1982 and 2010 - and are hoping to benefit from a qualification tweak that gives Oceania at least one place for the first time.
The loser will also retain a back-route path to the 2026 tournament, entering a six-nation inter-confederation playoff with two further places on offer.
As if to display the disparity between Monday's opponents, NZ Football hired a charter flight to take them to Auckland in the aftermath of Friday night's game - all of around 50 minutes in the air - to get a head's start on their recovery.
Back-up forward Eli Just is their only injury doubt, nursing a sore shoulder from the Fiji win.
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