The New Zealand World Cup 2026 squad is shaping up.
New Zealand return to World Cup 2026, as the first time at the competition since 2010 thanks to a spotless qualification campaign: they scored 19 times and conceded only once in the OFC group stage before thrashing Fiji and winning 3-0 against New Caledonia to book their place.
The confederation’s big boys have benefited from the expansion of the finals. Four years ago, the All Whites won every game in similarly emphatic fashion, but faced the inter-confederation play-off against CONCACAF opposition in the form of Costa Rica. It wasn’t to be.
This time it’s New Caledonia who still have work to do while New Zealand can prepare for the tournament proper, the third World Cup in their history. Having lost all three games in their first and drawn all three in their second, it’s all set to be a nine-point group stage this time around.
The New Zealand squad is typically populated by a mix of players from clubs in the A-League – in Australia as well as Auckland and Wellington – and exported players plugging away in an eclectic assortment of global football hotspots including England, Scotland and Wales.
The size of the task facing New Zealand at the World Cup was put in perspective by their results since they secured their qualification by winning the OFC final against New Caledonia in March.
After a win against the Ivory Coast, the All Whites lost six and drew one of their last seven fixtures in 2025 including two defeats by Australia and back-to-back losses against Colombia and Ecuador in November.
Squad
New Zealand World Cup 2026 squad: the November selection
- GK: Max Crocombe (Millwall)
- GK: Nik Tzanev (Newport County)
- GK: Kees Sims (GAIS)
- DF: Michael Boxall (Minnesota United)
- DF: Tommy Smith (Braintree Town)
- DF: Bill Tuiloma (Charlotte FC)
- DF: Tyler Bindon (Sheffield United)
- DF: Storm Roux (Central Coast Mariners)
- DF: Francis de Vries (Auckland FC)
- DF: Finn Surman (Portland Timbers)
- DF: James McGarry (Brisbane Roar)
- DF: George Stanger (Kilmarnock)
- MF: Elijah Just (Motherwell)
- MF: Matthew Garbett (Peterborough United)
- MF: Marko Stamenic (Swansea City)
- MF: Joe Bell (Viking)
- MF: Callum McCowatt (Silkeborg)
- MF: Sarpreet Singh (TSC)
- MF: Alex Rufer (Wellington Phoenix)
- MF: Ben Old (Saint-Étienne)
- MF: Owen Parker-Price (Örgryte)
- FW: Kosta Barbarouses (Western Sydney Wanderers)
- FW: Ben Waine (Port Vale)
- FW: Andre de Jong (Stellenbosch)
- FW: Jesse Randall (Auckland FC)
Fixtures and results
November 18: Ecuador 2-0 New Zealand, Sports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison, United States
November 15: Colombia 2-1 New Zealand, Chase Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, United States
October 14: Norway 1-1 New Zealand, Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway
October 9: Poland 1-0 New Zealand, Stadion Śląski, Chorzów, Poland
September 9: New Zealand 1-3 Australia, Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand
September 5: Australia 1-0 New Zealand, GIO Stadium, Canberra, Australia
June 10: New Zealand 1-2 Ukraine, BMO Field, Toronto, Canada
June 7: Ivory Coast 0-1 New Zealand, BMO Field, Toronto, Canada
March 24: New Caledonia 0-3 New Zealand, Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand
March 21: New Zealand 7-0 Fiji, Sky Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand
Manager
Who is New Zealand's manager?
New Zealand’s head coach since 2023 has been former Watford, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Walsall defender Darren Bazeley, who finished his playing career with two New Zealand clubs.
Bazeley is part of the furniture at New Zealand’s FA, where he first worked in 2009 and has held several coaching roles at various age groups and was a natural choice to succeed former Walsall teammate Danny Hay.
The Northampton-born coach has won all of his World Cup qualifiers by at least three goals but results outside the OFC show just how tall a task he’s facing in the United States, Canada and Mexico in the summer.
Star player
Who is New Zealand's star player?
By the time the All Whites arrive at the World Cup in 2026, Chris Wood will stand alone as his country’s captain, most capped player and record goalscorer. At 33, the striker is still doing the business for club and country.
Wood scored nine times in qualifying, more than twice as many as the second-highest scorer. He found the net 20 times in the Premier League in 2024/25, helping Nottingham Forest qualify for European football.
Now established by some distance as his country’s best-ever footballer, Wood will be eager to make his mark on what’s likely to be his last World Cup. He was a substitute in all three games as a teenager in South Africa 16 years ago. Now it’s his turn.
Best XI
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