The All Whites quest for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification will take them to the Middle East.

The qualifying tournament to decide Oceania's top qualifier has been earmarked for next January, and will likely be outside a FIFA window - meaning some of the top All Whites may not be available for selection.

There were hopes the tournament could be hosted in New Zealand, but MIQ has turned down an application for quarantine spaces.

That has seen the Oceania Football Confederation settling on a one-off tournament set aside for January 2022.

Listen above as NZ Herald writer Michael Burgess discusses the news with D'Arcy Waldegrave