Introducing the squad to represent Aotearoa New Zealand at the FIFA World Cup 2026 🇳🇿
New Zealand
New Zealand has announced its full 26-player squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It’s the third time the country has qualified for the FIFA World Cup. The All Whites reached the tournament in 1982 and 2010 but were knocked out in the group stage. Their best performance was finishing third in the group stage in 2010, when they were the only undefeated team in the tournament after recording three draws.
Head coach Darren Bazeley announced the full squad today. Star player Chris Wood is the biggest name in the selection. The 34-year-old Nottingham Forrest striker is the top scorer (45 goals) and leader in caps (88) for his country. Wood scored nine goals for New Zealand in their qualifying campaign for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Introducing the squad to represent Aotearoa New Zealand at the FIFA World Cup 2026 🇳🇿
Goalkeepers: Max Crocombe (Millwall), Alex Paulsen (Lechia Gdansk), Michael Woud (Auckland FC)
Defenders: Tyler Bindon (Nottingham Forest), Michael Boxall (Minnesota United), Liberato Cacace (Wrexham), Francis de Vries (Auckland FC), Callan Elliot (Auckland FC), Tim Payne (Wellington Phoenix), Nando Pijnaker (Auckland FC), Tommy Smith (Braintree Town), Finn Surman (Portland Timbers)
Midfielders: Lachlan Bayliss (Newcastle Jets), Joe Bell (Viking FK), Matt Garbett (Peterborough United), Ben Old (Saint-Etienne), Alex Rufer (Wellington Phoenix), Sarpreet Singh (Wellington Phoenix), Marko Stamenic (Swansea City), Ryan Thomas (PEC Zwolle)
Forwards: Kosta Barbarouses (Western Sydney Wanderers), Eli Just (Motherwell), Callum McCowatt (Silkeborg), Jesse Randall (Auckland FC), Ben Waine (Port Vale), Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest)
New Zealand was one of the first countries to secure a spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament. In a group with Tahiti, Samoa, and Vanuatu, New Zealand took the full nine points with an astonishing goal difference of 19-1. Winning the group, they advanced to the third round, where they played a mini-tournament.
They thrashed Fiji 7-0 in the semi-final. Top scorer Chris Wood scored three times. Three days later, on March 24, 2025, they qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. New Zealand won in front of their home fans in Auckland with 3-0 against New Caledonia. It secured New Zealand’s spot at the World Cup, where they will try to get their first-ever win.
New Zealand is part of Group G. The All Whites open their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign on June 15 in Inglewood, California, against Iran. Six days later, they will travel to Vancouver, BC, Canada, where the Egyptian team is the opponent. New Zealand’s final group stage match-up will be on June 26. In the same stadium where they played Egypt five days earlier, Belgium will be the opponent. The two group winners and the eight best third-placed teams from each group will advance to the next stage.
New Zealand Schedule
Marcel Dorff Marcel Dorff covers Mixed Martial Arts & Soccer for Heavy.com. He has covered MMA on a professional level since 2022. More about Marcel Dorff
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