New Zealand Announce World Cup 2026 Roster | OneFootball

Historical Moment for Chris Wood, Tommy Smith

Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood will captain New Zealand at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after being named in the nation’s 26-man squad for the tournament. The 34-year-old Premier League veteran is his nation’s all-time leading scorer, netting 45 goals in 88 matches for the All Whites.

He is joined in the squad by 36-year-old defender Tommy Smith, who currently plays for Braintree Town in the National League – the fifth tier of English football.

The pair will make history as the first men to represent New Zealand at two World Cups, having both been part of the squad for the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

The Announcement

Head coach Darren Bazeley announced his squad in Auckland on Thursday, a selection that features 10 players based in Australia’s A-League. Eight of those play for New Zealand-based sides Wellington Phoenix FC and Auckland FC.

“We have spent the last few years building to this moment and tracking around 55 players in contention to make it,” Bazeley said. “Now the time for discussions is over, we need to head to the tournament and take the opportunity in front of us to make history for New Zealand.”

Newcastle Jets midfielder Lachlan Bayliss made the cut despite making his international debut just two months ago. Born in Australia, the 23-year-old qualifies for the All Whites through his father and has been a key figure in the Jets’ rise to the top of the A-League this season.

Currently ranked 85th in the world, New Zealand has been drawn into Group G alongside Belgium (9th), Iran (20th), and Egypt (29th). 

World Cup Group G

The nation, with a population of around 5.5 million, has not advanced beyond the group stage in its two previous World Cup appearances in 1982 and 2010. 

Last time out, in South Africa, they went undefeated but were eliminated after drawing all three group matches.

New Zealand squad for FIFA World Cup 2026

Goalkeepers: Max Crocombe (Millwall), Alex Paulsen (Lechia Gdańsk), Michael Woud (Auckland FC) 

Defenders: Tim Payne (Wellington Phoenix), Francis De Vries (Auckland FC), Tyler Bindon (Nottingham Forest), Michael Boxall (Minnesota United), Liberato Cacace (Wrexham), Nando Pijnaker (Auckland FC), Finn Surman (Portland Timbers), Callan Elliot (Auckland FC), Tommy Smith (Braintree Town) 

Midfielders: Joe Bell (Viking FK), Matt Garbett (Peterborough United), Marko Stamenic (Swansea City), Sarpreet Singh (Wellington Phoenix), Alex Rufer (Wellington Phoenix), Ryan Thomas (PEC Zwolle) 

Forwards: Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest), Eli Just (Motherwell), Kosta Barbarouses (Western Sydney Wanderers), Ben Waine (Port Vale), Ben Old (Saint-Étienne), Callum McCowatt (Silkeborg IF), Jesse Randall (Auckland FC), Lachlan Bayliss (Newcastle Jets)

Image: NZ_Football / x

Deadline for all World Cup 2026 squads

All competing nations have until June 2 to finalize their World Cup rosters. However, teams are permitted to call up injury replacements from their provisional lists right up until their opening fixture.

The expanded 104-match tournament takes place in the USA, Mexico and Canada. It kicks off on June 11 when co-hosts Mexico takes on South Africa, culminating in the final at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Sunday, July 19.