The All Whites, who made the 2010 finals after a 1-0 aggregate victory over fifth-placed Asian side Bahrain, have sealed a November playoff against the fourth placed team in the North, Central America and Caribbean (CONCACAF) conference having wrapped up the Oceania qualifying spot in March.
Herbert expected either Honduras or Panama to finish fourth, though regional heavyweights Mexico are also potential opponents having lurched through the six-team final stage of qualifying with five draws and just one win, they are third behind the United States and Costa Rica.
"In Asia if you look at the depth there, look at Japan, Australia and South Korea then you're probably going to draw a line below them and we would back ourselves against any of those sides underneath," Herbert told Reuters in an interview.
"This is a very strong part of the world," he added of teams in the CONCACAF region. "Panama and Honduras are good sides - look at what happened in the Gold Cup recently.
"It's harder. The bar is higher.
"The expectations are a lot higher now but that's just the reality and good for the game."
Herbert said having enough time with the squad would again prove to be a challenge as his players flew in from all corners of the world.
Also dealing with passionate local fans who are known to chant outside visiting team's hotels at night in order to keep them awake before matches.
"No doubt we will probably get the full extent of that," Herbert said with a laugh when asked about the possibility of boisterous local fans. "We understand that, it's a passionate part of the world."
The All Whites have also been further hamstrung having not played a match since they beat the Solomon Islands 2-0 in Honiara in late March, having failed to make the Confederations Cup in Brazil after they were upset in last year's Oceania Nations Cup.
MIDFIELD OPTIONS
They also were unable to organise a match in FIFA's international window next week, though Herbert said they were in the final stages of confirming matches in the September and October windows.
They were likely to play sides from the Asian confederation in September then face CONCACAF teams in October and those four matches would be crucial to him testing combinations he would be comfortable with in the qualifiers.
Herbert was keen to give young strikers Marco Rojas and Kosta Barbarouses a chance to lead the line with Leicester City's Chris Wood, while he was also intent on finding another attacking midfielder to help Michael McGlinchey.
"It's probably an area that doesn't have the depth I was hoping for," Herbert said when asked about his midfield options.
"Michael McGlinchey is a real talent and he's a shoe-in for that (attacking) role but it's who we play alongside him."
Herbert added he thought he would also need to find someone to replace the retired Tim Brown to anchor the midfield and with the counter-attacking pace in Central American sides they may take a more defensive game plan into the away leg on November 13.
"How many creative players do we need in the side given the type of game we will expect away from home," he said.
"I guess that's what the games in September and October are about. It's a chance for us to cement the way we think we want to play and what will be good enough to beat Panama or Honduras away from home.
Defensively, he felt the team was sound, with new captain Winston Reid and Tommy Smith anchoring the central defence after the retirement earlier this year of talisman Ryan Nelsen.
Reid, who signed a contract extension with West Ham United in April, would be given the opportunity to stamp his own mark on the team, Herbert said.
"He has to accept the leadership now," Herbert said. "I'd like to see Winston develop and grow as a captain."
(Editing by Patrick Johnston)
