New Zealand Name Final 26 for World Cup, Chris Wood Captains Oceania's First Returnees Since 2010
Darren Bazeley's All Whites squad was confirmed at Eden Park in Auckland. Captain Chris Wood and defender Tommy Smith are the only carry-overs from the 2010 squad. Fifteen of the 26 play outside New Zealand and the A-League. New Zealand open Group G against Iran on June 16 (NZT), then face Egypt and Belgium, with a pre-tournament base in San Diego and friendlies against Haiti and England in Florida.
N ew Zealand head coach Darren Bazeley named his final 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Eden Park in Auckland on Thursday morning. Qualifying as the OFC's sole representative, the All Whites are Oceania's first nation at a World Cup since 2010. The country's all-time top scorer and joint record appearance-holder, Chris Wood, will captain the side.
Wood becomes only the third man to captain New Zealand at a World Cup, following Steve Sumner in 1982 and Ryan Nelsen in 2010. He is also one of just two players in the squad who featured in that 2010 campaign in South Africa, alongside defender Tommy Smith. Wood was a teenager at that tournament. Smith was a 20-year-old centre-back. Sixteen years later they return as the experienced spine of a squad that is otherwise an almost complete generational refresh.
The list is broadly settled from the qualifying group that booked the ticket. All 11 starters from the 3-0 win over New Caledonia at Eden Park in March, the result that confirmed New Zealand's place, are in the final 26. That includes centre-back Michael Boxall and forwards Kosta Barbarouses and Elijah Just, all three of whom scored in that decisive playoff. Goalkeepers Max Crocombe (Millwall), Alex Paulsen (Lechia Gdańsk) and Michael Woud (Auckland FC) are the three keepers named.
Fifteen of the 26 ply their trade outside New Zealand and the A-League, against nine in 2010, a marker of how far New Zealand's player export has developed across the past four cycles. The European spine runs through Wood and Tyler Bindon at Nottingham Forest, Liberato Cacace at Wrexham, Marko Stamenić at Swansea, Joe Bell at Viking FK, Ben Old at Saint-Étienne and Callum McCowatt at Silkeborg. North American presence comes via Boxall at Minnesota United and Finn Surman at the Portland Timbers.
New Zealand have been drawn into Group G alongside Iran, Egypt and Belgium. They open against Iran on Tuesday June 16 (NZT), then face Egypt on Monday June 22 (NZT) and close the group stage against Belgium on Saturday June 27 (NZT). The squad will be based in San Diego in Southern California throughout the campaign, with two pre-tournament friendlies scheduled in the state of Florida against Haiti and England before the opener.