The All Whites will play Uefa Cup holders Sevilla in an addition to their European tour next month.
A match with the Spanish club on August 15 was confirmed yesterday by New Zealand Soccer chief executive Graham Seatter.
It will follow matches against English premiership clubs Charlton Athletic and Blackburn Rovers on August 5 and 12.
"This shows again how serious we are about giving [coach] Ricki Herbert and his team the best possible chance to qualify for South Africa 2010," Seatter said.
"Experiences like this can only hold the All Whites in good stead when we face the Pacific Island nations next year," Seatter said of the first step towards World Cup qualification.
New Zealand's campaign for South Africa starts next year through Oceania. Provided the All Whites negotiate Oceania they will then face either an Asian or South American nation for a World Cup berth.
Herbert, who names his 20-man touring squad today, welcomed the new fixture.
"People have questioned why we are playing club sides but the reality is that the level of competition will be of international calibre - all the teams have an array of high-quality internationals and that can only be good for our players," he said.
Sevilla overcame some of Europe's big clubs, including Bolton Wanderers, Lokomotiv Moscow, Lille and Schalke 04 - on the way to last season's Uefa Cup final where they beat Premiership club Middlesbrough, 4-0.
- NZPA
Soccer: All Whites line up games against Uefa Cup holders
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.