"Yeah definitely," said Wood, when asked if Iceland were an inspiration. "Iceland had a great campaign last year and tournaments are full of that, full of teams stepping up, going to the next level as a nation and we are the same, we want to do that."
"We want to show on the world stage that we are meant to be here and there are more than enough capabilities in this team to do the job."
However, the All Whites will be even greater outsiders than Iceland were in France. The New Zealand side has drawn arguably the toughest group here, with each of their opponents having a lot to prove.
The host nation is under pressure to claim a rare tournament success, while Portugal are still basking in their unprecedented European glory and are making their Confederations Cup debut. And Mexico, like most Central and South American nations, always prioritise such Fifa tournaments.
But Wood - and coach Anthony Hudson - maintain their belief that something special is brewing inside the New Zealand camp.
"The objective for us was to come here and do something significant, do something that no other New Zealand team has done before and that hasn't changed," said Hudson. "We feel very optimistic coming into this tournament.
"There is no point in us being here if we are just going to show up and enjoy the occasion. I can assure you we are not coming here to do that."
The All Whites cancelled their final training session today, partly for logistical reasons (it was scheduled in another part of St Petersburg) and also because Hudson felt the team had done enough.
They completed preparations with a short walk around the pitch at the imposing Krestovsky stadium, before returning to their hotel.
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