New Zealand head coach Darren Bazeley has named his 26-man squad for FIFA World Cup 2026™ which will be captained by their nation’s all-time top goalscorer and joint record appearance-holder, Chris Wood.
The All Whites have qualified as OFC’s sole representative, and the region’s first representative at a FIFA World Cup™ since 2010.
Wood follows in the footsteps of Steve Sumner and Ryan Nelson, who previously captained New Zealand at their only two previous World Cup appearances in 1982 and 2010.
Having featured as a teenager in South Africa, Wood is one of two players named in the squad alongside defender Tommy Smith, who featured at the All Whites most recent World Cup campaign 16 years ago.
The remainder of the squad is also largely settled, and includes all 11 starters who helped book New Zealand’s ticket to FIFA World Cup 2026™ with a 3-0 win over New Caledonia at Eden Park last March.
Among those include defender Michael Boxall, and forwards Kosta Barbarouses and Elijah Just, who all scored for the All Whites in that decisive victory.
15 of the 26-man squad play their trade outside of New Zealand and the A-League, in comparison to the nine who were named in the 2010 squad, a testament to the growing development and impact of New Zealand players overseas.
New Zealand have been drawn into Group G at FIFA World Cup 2026™ and will begin their campaign against Iran on Tuesday June 16th, before facing Egypt on Monday June 22nd, and finally Belgium on Saturday June 27th.
They will be based in San Diego in Southern California throughout their campaign, and will also face Haiti and England in a pair of international friendlies in the state of Florida prior to the tournament.
The FIFA World Cup 2026™ will feature a record 104 matches across 16 host cities, beginning on June 12th in Mexico City and culminating in the final on July 19th at New York New Jersey Stadium.
