The All Whites squad for their FIFA World Cup Oceania Qualifiers this month in New Zealand has been confirmed.
New Zealand will face Fiji in the Oceania semifinals on Friday, March 21 at Wellington's Sky Stadium, with the winner qualifying for the final, against either New Caledonia or Tahiti on Monday, March 24 at Auckland's Eden Park.
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The winning team will automatically qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in history after the tournament was expanded giving an OFC side direct entry.
Should the All Whites win it will see New Zealand represented at the men’s FIFA World Cup for the first time in 16 years.
Head coach Darren Bazeley has named a strong squad with 22 of the 23 players part of the team that assembled for the All Whites back-to-back wins over Vanuatu and Samoa in November.
Joining the squad for this window is Auckland FC forward Jesse Randall, who made his debut in June 2024 at the OFC Nations Cup, earning four caps and scoring his first international goal as part of the tournament-winning side.
All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley was happy with the squad and being able to regularly select players.
“This is the business end of the competition now and we know we have a job to do in these games to see us return to the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 2010.
“We aren’t taking anything for granted, all of the squad are completely focused on what we want to achieve this month.
“We have been really consistent with a lot of our selections over the last year to drive cohesion in the team so that when players arrive in camp they know what is expected, especially when we have limited time together and need to perform.
“It was brilliant to see the support we had last year, and it is exciting that we get the opportunity to fight for our place at the FIFA World Cup 2026 in front of our own fans, we hope to see as many of you in the stands as possible.”
Portland Timbers' Finn Surman was not selected as the defender recently earned a starting place for the MLS side.
The MLS schedule continues during the FIFA window, so Darren Bazeley elected not to call up Surman to prioritise the player’s development with his club.
ALL WHITES SQUAD
Kosta Barbarouses (65 caps/7 goals) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Joe Bell (22/1) Viking FK, Norway
Tyler Bindon (13/2) Reading FC, England (on loan from Nottingham Forest)
Michael Boxall (53/0) Minnesota United, USA
Liberato Cacace (31/1) Empoli FC, Italy
Max Crocombe (13/0) Burton Albion, England
Matt Garbett (28/5) NAC Breda, Netherlands
Eli Just (32/6) SKN St. Pölten, Austria (on loan from Horsens)
Callum McCowatt (21/4) Silkeborg IF, Denmark
Alex Paulsen (3/0) Auckland FC, New Zealand (on loan from AFC Bournemouth)
Tim Payne (41/2) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Nando Pijnaker (23/0) Auckland FC, New Zealand
Jesse Randall (4/1) Auckland FC, New Zealand
Logan Rogerson (14/2) Auckland FC, New Zealand
Storm Roux (15/0) Central Coast Mariners, Australia
Alex Rufer (18/0) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Oli Sail (9/0) Perth Glory, Australia
Sarpreet Singh (16/2) U.D. Leiria, Portugal
Tommy Smith (56/2) Auckland FC, New Zealand
Marko Stamenić (27/2) Olympiacos, Greece (on loan from Nottingham Forest)
Francis de Vries (8/1) Auckland FC, New Zealand
Ben Waine (22/8) Mansfield Town, England (on loan from Plymouth Argyle)
Chris Wood (80/41) Nottingham Forest, England