If it's just me, I apologise. But I have to admit that I feel somewhat ambushed by the extraordinary prospect of the All Whites being so mesmerisingly close to taking part in the next "Greatest Show on Turf", namely the 2010 Football World Cup in South Africa.

I knew the Bahrain home and away encounter was looming and I knew the overall winner was World Cup bound but somehow, the magnitude of such an opportunity on our sporting horizon has simply not impacted upon me as much as it should have.

Maybe, that's because I subconsciously thought the incredible exploits of the 1982 All Whites would not be repeated in my life time.

Maybe, the relative ease of this year's opportunity compared to recent All Whites World Cup campaigns made it all too good to be true.

Maybe, it's because the sheer adrenalin of the NRL Finals, the Black Caps advance in the Championship Trophy and the contentious debate surrounding the make-up of next year's Air New Zealand Cup have all served to submerge a more fully-blown anticipation of the All Whites' upcoming mission.

And maybe, the sporting media overall has also so far not given the campaign deserved and comprehensive exposure.

But whatever the maybes, whatever the reasons, I have to say that they are no longer relevant.

However late in arriving, the same all-embracing fever that swept the nation back in 1982 in the lead-up to Spain is now about to quickly catch on and could well prove the most significant phenomenon on our 2009 sporting calendar by a mile.

Of course, that's not to say that a berth in 2010 in the greatest sports event on this planet can be regarded as a foregone conclusion in the slightest.

The goal-less draw in Bahrain has undoubtedly set up increased optimism for the dream to come true, but as Ricki Herbert has intimated, if his team allows any shred of complacency to enter their collective consciousness, dismay will probably become the outcome.

Herbert has also been quick to remind us that in their home and away encounters against Saudi Arabia to determine who took on New Zealand, Bahrain were also held to a nil-all draw at home but then earned a gutsy 2-all draw against the Saudis in Riyadh.

And it must be remembered that Bahrain are ranked approximately 35 places higher than the All Whites in Fifa's rankings and were a tad unlucky in the game just gone.

Having said that, the substantial surge of support that is about to swamp the All Whites and the fanatical full house that the Cake Tin will put on in Wellington in a month's time will ensure that this home advantage becomes as powerful an influence as can be.

What a magical, blue-ribbon celebration a win in Wellington would produce for Kiwi sports fans of all denominations.

What a joyous alternative it would be seen as to the frustrations and drabness of this rugby year to date and the depressing, no-win scenario that the upcoming culling of the Air New Zealand Cup will inevitably throw up.

And if we dare to think that the All Blacks or the Americas Cup for example, could ever bring awareness of our beloved country to the world's attention on a scale remotely close to that which a Football World Cup will achieve, we are dreaming.

That's a dream that will never come true, unlike the dream that may well become a delicious reality on November the 14th in Wellington.

Your thoughts please.