All that can be allayed. Wood looks sharp, fit and confident. <\/p>\n
He might be missing some game conditioning but he\u2019s got more than 500 senior matches in English football to fall back on, including 278 in the Premier League. <\/p>\n
He\u2019s fresh \u2013 the small silver lining of his tough season \u2013 and revelling in the World Cup environment, after waiting 16 years to get back to one. <\/p>\n
A long-time New Zealand Football (NZF) staffer described Wood as \u201chyper-focused\u201d – in a good way \u2013 and absolutely determined to do everything possible to make the most of this opportunity.<\/p>\n
Another aspect is his age. At 34, there are a lot of miles on the clock and he might have lost a yard of pace from a decade ago. But age brings wisdom and his football IQ and instincts \u2013 with that supercomputer brain inside the penalty area – have maybe never been greater. <\/p>\n
That\u2019s a plus compared to the Wood we might have seen on this stage in 2014 or 2018.<\/p>\n
Chris Wood runs with the ball past Iran defender Shojae Khalilzadeh during the 2026 World Cup Group G match at Los Angeles Stadium. Photo \/ Patrick Fallon, AFP<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also reflected in his captaincy. Whereas in the past at times it was a burden it now sits perfectly on his shoulders.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis leadership is shining through \u2013 off and on the field,\u201d another member of the NZF delegation said. \u201cYou can see it in everything he does.\u201d<\/p>\n
The final layer is Wood\u2019s confidence and belief. He\u2019s always had plenty but his breakthrough 2024\/25 Premier League season, where he scored 20 goals, mixed with the elite strikers and was named in the English Premier League team of the year was a transformative one. <\/p>\n
\u201cWell and truly,\u201d Wood agreed as he sat with the Herald at the team\u2019s hotel. <\/p>\n
\u201cI always knew and believed in myself that I could score 20 goals in a season. [But] to do it, and then show people and say to people, look, \u2018I have done it\u2019 does give you that confidence and the belief that everybody else believes in you as well. So yeah, I\u2019ll be bringing all that into this campaign, into this World Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wood is also driven by the pain of four years ago in Doha, Qatar, when the All Whites were one game away from appearing at the 2022 World Cup. <\/p>\n
They dominated Costa Rica in the intercontinental playoff but lost, with the Central American team defending their 1-0 lead after a scrappy early strike by Joel Campbell. <\/p>\n
Wood had a goal controversially ruled out by a VAR intervention and also couldn\u2019t make the most of several other chances and admits it was probably his toughest experience in a New Zealand shirt. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe had more than enough opportunities to deliver and we just couldn\u2019t get it over the line,\u201d Wood reflected. \u201cThat\u2019s how football goes sometimes. It was a devastating night because we came so close and we were the better side but the better side doesn\u2019t always win.\u201d<\/p>\n
This writer will never forget interviewing Wood in the tunnel after the match, then watching him walk away, shoulders slumped and in slight disbelief about the circumstances. <\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, it was a tough one to take,\u201d Wood recalls. \u201cI was 30 years old, where it could have been maybe my last one. You never know how football goes when you go past 32 and things like that and how everybody sees things, or if we\u2019d ever make it again so I\u2019m thankful to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chris Wood after the Costa Rica defeat. Photo\/Photosport<\/p>\n
That is showing through in everything that he does, from the extras in training to taking time to have a coffee and a chat with a teammate, to passing on some tips to a young squad member during a practice session. <\/p>\n
Wood remains the pre-eminent focus of the All Whites team and is the obvious reference point for opposition teams and foreign media. <\/p>\n
He got more space than expected against Iran \u2013 especially in the first half \u2013 though was more closely marked after the interval. There are likely to be less liberties against Egypt. <\/p>\n
In Saturday\u2019s press conference, Wood acknowledged that the African powerhouse will pose a much greater challenge. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis game is going to be completely different to the first game,\u201d Wood said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve looked at them against Belgium, they\u2019ve looked at us against Iran and I\u2019m sure both teams have come up with different game plans of how they want to fit the game. For us as players, it\u2019s about bringing the same level of energy, intensity, technical ability on the pitch, and then raising it again. It was a draw, we want to get the win, and that\u2019s what we\u2019re going to need to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wood didn\u2019t get many chances against Iran last week \u2013 the best came midway through the first half, when he couldn\u2019t get his shot away quick enough \u2013 but had a massive impact regardless. He led the line, linked play well, was a physical presence and managed two assists for Elijah Just, with the second a particularly precise pass.<\/p>\n
He yearns for that first World Cup goal \u2013 in his fifth tournament appearance (including three cameos off the bench in 2010) \u2013 but also takes a team first approach, illustrated in his elation for both Just goals last week. <\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, of course, it would be very special to score at a World Cup,\u201d Wood said. \u201c[But] it doesn\u2019t matter who scores, as long as we get some goals. That\u2019s a huge thing. Hopefully I can do the business, get some goals, and that will help the team out for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli Just of celebrates his goal with Chris Wood during the Fifa World Cup clash against Iran at Los Angeles Stadium. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
As he was reminded in the press conference, Wood has previously found the net against Egypt, in a 1-1 draw at the 2012 Olympics, where Mo Salah also scored for the African side. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat was a long time ago,\u201d Wood laughed. \u201cThe Olympics were fantastic to be a part of. So to come full circle round to here, to be playing up against Egypt in a World Cup is huge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wood was also the subject of several questions directed at the Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan. He preferred not to discuss individuals on either side, though said he was aware of the threat of the striker. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey have stars like Chris Wood in the New Zealand team,\u201d Hassan said. \u201cHe is an important veteran and we are very prepared to face him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael Burgess<\/a> has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America\u2019s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n