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New Zealand men's national football team

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This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see New Zealand women's national football team.

New Zealand
Shirt badge/Association crest
NicknameAll Whites
AssociationNew Zealand Football (NZF)
ConfederationOFC (Oceania)
Head coachDarren Bazeley
CaptainChris Wood
Most capsChris Wood (92)
Top scorerChris Wood (45)
Home stadiumVarious
FIFA codeNZL
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 85 Steady (11 June 2026)[1]
Highest47 (August 2002)
Lowest161 (April–May 2016)
First international
 New Zealand 3–1 Australia 
(Dunedin, New Zealand; 17 June 1922)
Biggest win
 New Zealand 13–0 Fiji 
(Auckland, New Zealand; 16 August 1981)
Biggest defeat
 New Zealand 0–10 Australia 
(Wellington, New Zealand; 11 July 1936)[2]
World Cup
Appearances3 (first in 1982)
Best resultGroup stage (1982, 2010)
OFC Nations Cup
Appearances11 (first in 1973)
Best resultChampions (1973, 1998, 2002, 2008, 2016, 2024)
Confederations Cup
Appearances4 (first in 1999)
Best resultGroup stage (1999, 2003, 2009, 2017)
Medal record
Men's football
OFC Nations Cup
Gold medal – first place 1973 New Zealand Team
Gold medal – first place 1998 Australia Team
Gold medal – first place 2002 New Zealand Team
Gold medal – first place 2008 No Host Team
Gold medal – first place 2016 Papua New Guinea Team
Gold medal – first place 2024 Vanuatu & Fiji Team
Silver medal – second place 2000 Tahiti Team
Bronze medal – third place 1996 No Host Team
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Australia Team
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Solomon Islands Team
AFC–OFC Challenge Cup
Silver medal – second place 2003 Iran Team
Websitewww.nzfootball.co.nz

The New Zealand men's national football team (Māori: Tīma hoka a-motu o Aotearoa) represents New Zealand in men's international football competitions. The team is governed by the governing body for football in New Zealand, New Zealand Football (NZF), which is currently a member of FIFA and the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). The team's official nickname is the All Whites (Māori: Ōmā [ɔːmaː]).[4]

The team represented New Zealand at the FIFA World Cup tournaments in 1982, 2010 and 2026. It also participated in the FIFA Confederations Cup in 1999, 2003, 2009, and 2017. New Zealand is a six-time OFC Nations Cup champion. New Zealand was the only unbeaten country in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, drawing all three group stage games; nevertheless, they were eliminated in the group stage.

History

[edit]

Early years

[edit]
New Zealand playing Australia in 1922.

New Zealand's first international football match was played in Dunedin at the old Caledonian Ground on 23 July 1904 against a team representing New South Wales. New Zealand lost by the game's only goal, but drew with the same team 3–3 in a game at Athletic Park, Wellington seven days later.[5] The following year the team played a Wellington representative side on 10 June before embarking on a tour of Australia, during which they played eleven representative sides, including three "test matches" against New South Wales. Of these three matches they won one, lost one, and drew one.

A New Zealand national team did not play again until 1922, when New Zealand played three official full internationals against Australia, played at Carisbrook in Dunedin, Athletic Park in Wellington, and Auckland Domain. The results were two 3–1 wins to New Zealand and a 1–1 draw in Wellington.[6] In 1927, Canada became the second team to play in New Zealand as they played in four official matches with a win and a draw.[7]

New Zealand would become one of the founding members of the Oceania Football Confederation in 1966, which was founded by Charlie Dempsey and his Australian colleague Jim Bayutti.[8]

Success for Spain '82

[edit]
New Zealand playing against Israel during the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifiers

At the beginning of the 1980s the All Whites were on a run of consecutive victories until the 1980 Oceania Cup in New Caledonia. New Zealand ended up having a disastrous campaign, losing 1–3 and 0–4 to Tahiti and Fiji respectively. In the last round without a possible qualification for the final they beat the Solomon Islands 6–1.

The All Whites later improved when the team advanced to the final phase of the qualifiers for the 1982 World Cup. With zero losses, the team's strength was highlighted by a 3–3 draw and a 1–0 victory against Australia, and a 13–0 victory against Fiji. For the final phase the All Whites, competed against China PR, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. After a 5–0 victory against the Saudis, they competed in a play-off match against China, winning 2–1, eventually qualifying for the World Cup in Spain.

Up until the 1980s, the All Whites received criticism for having a high number of British players. Of the 22-man squad in their 1982 World Cup campaign, 11 members were born in the United Kingdom. This included the captain Steve Sumner and striker Steve Wooddin, who had both played club football in England before immigrating. They lost all three games conceding 12 goals and scoring just 2. Over the following decades the composition of the national squad changed and "the face of football became increasingly Kiwi".[9]

Consolidation in Oceania

[edit]
New Zealand playing against Bahrain in the 2010 FIFA World Cup inter-confederation play-offs at the Westpac Stadium.

Since the 1990s, United States college soccer has played a significant role in the development of New Zealand players. This influence began when former Scotland international Bobby Clark returned to the US after his 1994–96 stint as New Zealand head coach to take the head coaching job at Stanford University. Clark began recruiting in New Zealand, and former New Zealand national players Ryan Nelsen and Simon Elliott played for him at Stanford. The trend that Clark started has continued to the present; more than two dozen New Zealanders are now playing for NCAA Division I men's programmes in the US.[10] A common next step in these players' career paths is a stint in Major League Soccer; ESPN soccernet journalist Brent Latham speculated in a March 2010 story that New Zealand's 2010 World Cup squad could have more MLS players than the US squad.[10][11]

However, Latham's speculation did not prove true, as only one MLS player made the New Zealand squad for the World Cup. New Zealand formerly competed against Australia for top honours in the OFC. However, after Australia left to join the AFC in 2006, New Zealand were left as the only seeded team in the OFC. New Zealand qualified for the 2010 World Cup, though exited the competition after the first round despite being the only team not to lose a game during the tournament. They drew 1–1 versus defending champions Italy, along with Slovakia and a scoreless match against Paraguay while eventual champions Spain lost to Switzerland. New Zealand finished above Italy in their group as the Italians lost to Slovakia in their final group match and finished with two points compared to New Zealand's three.[12]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Paraguay 3 1 2 0 3 1 +2 5 Advance to knockout stage
2  Slovakia 3 1 1 1 4 5 −1 4
3  New Zealand 3 0 3 0 2 2 0 3
4  Italy 3 0 2 1 4 5 −1 2
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria

Horror in Honiara and World Cup misses

[edit]

After a very positive cycle for the All Whites, the team competed for the 2012 OFC Nations Cup as favourites to win the title winning the first two games by a small margin of victory (1–0 and 2–1), and a 1–1 draw against the Solomonese. In the next round, they faced New Caledonia in the semi-final, where they suffered 2–0 loss, with goals from Bertrand Kaï in the 60th minute, and Georges Gope-Fenepej in the second minute of second-half stoppage time to seal the defeat known as the Horror in Honiara. Ricki Herbert stepped down, but New Zealand would also be eliminated in the intercontinental play-off for the 2014 World Cup by Mexico 9–3 on aggregate.

New Zealand playing against Russia in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.

In August 2014, Anthony Hudson was appointed manager of the All Whites. Hudson's first game in charge of the national team was a 3–1 defeat away to Uzbekistan in September. As a result of the All Whites playing "just three matches" in the previous year, which was "the least of any country in world football",[13] and having "seven months without a match" the All Whites dropped to 161st in the FIFA World Rankings.[14][15] The All Whites went on to win the 2016 OFC Nations Cup, winning four matches with the final being won via a penalty shootout after a 0–0 draw against Papua New Guinea, conceding only one goal, from a penalty, in the process. New Zealand's victory saw them crowned Oceania champions making New Zealand the most successful national team in the competition's history, having won the tournament five times, and also saw them qualify for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia. The All Whites moved up to 88th in the FIFA World Rankings, the highest ranking in three years, on the back of the OFC Nations Cup victory that qualified them for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.[16][17]

After a disappointing tournament at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup where they finished bottom of their group which featured Russia, Mexico and Portugal, the national team fell 27 places to 122nd.[18] In September 2017, New Zealand won the OFC Final against the Solomon Islands with an aggregate score of 8–3 to qualify for the inter-continental play-off qualifier against Peru, the fifth-ranked nation from South America's qualifiers.[19][20] After holding Peru off in the first leg, they would go to lose 2–0 in the second leg to be eliminated from competition as Peru became the last team to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[21][22]

After the All Whites' stoppage for almost two years, they returned to play friendlies (in 2021), obtaining positive results in their three (four counting against Algeria A') games played in that year. With the complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 World Cup qualifiers were held in the host country itself, Qatar, where the Kiwis managed to win all the games, as well as breaking artillery records, when forward Chris Wood became the All Whites' top scorer, after scoring twice against Fiji.

New Zealand playing Australia at home at Eden Park in a match commemorating the rivalry.

With the continental victory, they qualified for the inter-confederation play-offs, where they disputed the vacancy against Costa Rica. They started by conceding a goal in the 3rd minute of the game to Joel Campbell, but New Zealand began to pressure the game, and in the 39th minute, Chris Wood scored after a poor kick by Yeltsin Tejeda. However, his goal was disallowed when the video assistant referee (VAR) showed that Matthew Garbett had fouled Óscar Duarte before the goal.[23] As the final whistle blew, the New Zealanders failed to qualify for the Cup, which was their third consecutive elimination in the inter-confederation play-offs.[24]

After the qualifiers, the All Whites played a home and away series against the Socceroos to mark the 100th anniversary of the first meeting between the two nations, which was first played in Dunedin in 1922.[25]

Return to the international scene

[edit]

In June 2023, with Darren Bazeley already having his position as coach for the 2026 cycle, in a friendly against Qatar where the All Whites were winning during the first half, New Zealand defender Michael Boxall claimed to have suffered a racist attack from the Qatari player Yusuf Abdurisag, and in protest by the New Zealand team players against the referee for not acting in this situation, they abandoned the match, not playing the second remaining time.[26][27]

Shortly afterwards, there was the return of the Soccer Ashes dispute against the Australians after the original urn was found again after almost 70 years of its disappearance.[28][29] The decisive title match was played in October in England, in which Australia consolidated its superiority after a solid 2–0 victory.[30][31][32] Close to the start of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in North America, the All Whites are looking to play games against the strongest teams possible, aiming to reach the top 50 of the FIFA World Ranking, starting by participating in the ACUD Cup in Egypt, where after organizational problems, the tournament originally called Winsunited Cup (W Cup), had its original venue (in the United Arab Emirates) revoked and transferred to Egypt, and was also added to the new FIFA tournament, called the FIFA Series. With this project in mind, there was discussion about the participation of New Zealanders in the next edition of the OFC Nations Cup in Vanuatu, which was approaching, claiming that this could harm the call for the Olympic Games in Paris that would take place the following month, and there was also discussion about increasing the competitiveness of the competition, since there in the region, New Zealand is sovereign of the Oceania competitions.[33] However, in January 2024 there was confirmation of the All Whites' participation in the competition with the group draw and FIFA's confirmation that the tournament will be part of the FIFA international window, which increased the commitment to participate in the tournament.

Team image

[edit]

Kit

[edit]

New Zealand's traditional home colours are white with a black trim, while its away kits are usually reversed, featuring black with a white trim. This reversal of the colour scheme by New Zealand's football team is due to the fact that black (the nation's traditional color in rugby) was traditionally reserved for referees by FIFA.

Wikimedia Commons logo
Wikimedia Commons has media related to New Zealand national football team kits.
New Zealand's first national kit, 1922

Since late 2022, with the change of the institutional logo of New Zealand Football, there has been a greater preference for using only a fern leaf, without the name of the institution, which, regardless of the uniform (white or black), presents the leaf in a white color outlined in black.

Kit suppliers

[edit]
 Kit wear suppliers
 
        
Germany
Adidas
(1972–83)
France
Le Coq Sportif
(1984–86)
England
Mitre
(1987–88)
United States
Pony
(1989–92)
England
Mitre
(1995–96)
Germany
Adidas
(1997–2003)
United States
Nike
(2004–23)
Germany
Puma
(2024–present)[34]

Nickname

[edit]

During the qualification for the 1982 FIFA World Cup, the team appeared for the first time in an all white uniform against Taiwan in 1981. This led a commentator to dub them the "All Whites", a play on the traditional name "All Blacks" used for the national rugby team.[35] The name stuck, and was popularised in the song "Marching off to Spain" with its chant refrain "Kiwis! All Whites!"[35][36]

Rivalries

[edit]
Main article: Australia–New Zealand soccer rivalry

New Zealand's long time rivals are Trans-Tasman neighbours Australia.[37] The two teams' history dates back to 1922, where they first met in both their international debuts. The rivalry between the Socceroos (Australia) and the All Whites (New Zealand) is part of a wider friendly rivalry between the geographical neighbours Australia and New Zealand, which applies not only to sport but to the culture of the two countries. The rivalry was intensified when Australia and New Zealand were both members of the OFC, regularly competing in OFC Nations Cup finals and in FIFA World Cup qualification, where only one team from the OFC progressed to the World Cup.

Since Australia left the OFC to join the AFC in 2006, competition between the two teams has been less frequent. However, the rivalry between the two teams is still strong, with the occasional match receiving much media and public attention.[38] The rivalry extends to club football, with New Zealand's only fully professional teams, the Wellington Phoenix and Auckland FC, playing in the Australian A-League.

Supporters

[edit]
Panorama from the 'White Noise' zone during New Zealand v Peru – 2018 FIFA World Cup inter-confederation play-offs at the Sky Stadium.

The main supporter group of the New Zealand national team are known as the White Noise.[39][40][41][42] White Noise was formed in November 2007[43] with the supporters group of the Wellington Phoenix, 'Yellow Fever', rebranding themselves when the national sides play.[44] Additionally, The Flying Kiwis FC founded by Matt Fejos, have been New Zealand's main supporter group for away fixtures. The Flying Kiwis have been synonymous with organizing fan friendly matches with supporters of opposing teams, most notably during the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup where they organized a friendly match between supporters of the Russian national team.[45][46]

Home stadium

[edit]

New Zealand does not have a dedicated national stadium. Instead, the team plays at different venues throughout the country for exhibition or tournament purposes. In recent years, major international matches have usually been rotated around various large grounds, including the Wellington Regional Stadium and the North Harbour Stadium in Auckland. International matches have also been played at the Mount Smart Stadium and Eden Park in Auckland.

Results and fixtures

[edit]
See also: New Zealand men's national football team results (2020–present)
Further information: 2026 in New Zealand football

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2025

[edit]
5 September Soccer Ashes Australia  1–0  New Zealand Canberra, Australia
19:45 UTC+10
Source Stadium: GIO Stadium
Attendance: 19,115
Referee: Donald Robertson (Scotland)
9 September Soccer Ashes New Zealand  1–3  Australia Auckland, New Zealand
19:00 UTC+12
Report
Stadium: Mount Smart Stadium
Attendance: 18, 213
9 October Friendly Poland  1–0  New Zealand Chorzów, Poland
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)
Report Stadium: Stadion Śląski
Attendance: 30,412
Referee: Erik Lambrechts (Belgium)
14 October Friendly Norway  1–1  New Zealand Oslo, Norway
18:00 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion
Attendance: 17,652
Referee: Horațiu Feșnic (Romania)
15 November Friendly Colombia  2–1  New Zealand Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
19:00 UTC−5
Source
Stadium: Chase Stadium
Referee: Cristian Condori (Bolivia)
18 November Friendly Ecuador  2–0  New Zealand Harrison, New Jersey, United States
20:30 UTC−5
Report Stadium: Sports Illustrated Stadium

2026

[edit]
27 March 2026 FIFA Series New Zealand  0–2  Finland Auckland, New Zealand
19:15 UTC+13 Report
Stadium: Eden Park
Attendance: 17,603
Referee: Casey Reibelt (Australia)
30 March 2026 FIFA Series New Zealand  4–1  Chile Auckland, New Zealand
19:00 UTC+13
Report
Stadium: Eden Park
Attendance: 14,327
Referee: Jack Morgan (Australia)
2 June Friendly Haiti  4–0  New Zealand Fort Lauderdale, United States
20:00 UTC−4[a]
Report Stadium: Inter Miami CF Stadium
Attendance: 21,000+[48]
Referee: Rubiel Vazquez (United States)
7 June Friendly England  1–0  New Zealand Tampa, United States
16:00 UTC−4 Kane 45+2' Report Stadium: Raymond James Stadium
Attendance: 25,889
Referee: Natalie Simon
15 June 2026 FIFA World Cup Group G Iran  2–2  New Zealand Inglewood, United States
18:00 UTC−7
Report
Stadium: SoFi Stadium
Attendance: 70,108
Referee: César Arturo Ramos (Mexico)
21 June 2026 FIFA World Cup Group G New Zealand  1–3  Egypt Vancouver, Canada
18:00 UTC−7
Report
Stadium: BC Place
Attendance: 52,497
Referee: Omar Al Ali (United Arab Emirates)
26 June 2026 FIFA World Cup Group G New Zealand  v  Belgium Vancouver, Canada
20:00 UTC−7 Report Stadium: BC Place
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)

Coaching staff

[edit]
Current head coach Darren Bazeley
See also: List of New Zealand men's national football team managers
Position Name
Technical director New Zealand Andrew Boyens
Head coach England Darren Bazeley
Assistant coach New Zealand Simon Elliott
New Zealand Glen Moss
England Tony Readings
Goalkeeping coach Scotland Jonathan Gould
Performance manager New Zealand Ryan Nelsen
Team manager New Zealand Simon Hilton
Sports scientist South Africa Sunz Singh[49]
Doctor Scotland Chan Dassanayake[50]
Physiotherapist New Zealand Roland Jeffery[51]
New Zealand Adam Crump[51]

Players

[edit]

For all past and present players who have appeared for the national team, see New Zealand men's national team players.

Current squad

[edit]

The following 26 players were called up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[52]
Caps and goals updated as of 22 June 2026 after the match against Egypt.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Max Crocombe (1993-08-12) 12 August 1993 (age 32) 26 0 The Football Association Millwall
12 1GK Alex Paulsen (2002-07-04) 4 July 2002 (age 23) 8 0 The Football Association Bournemouth
22 1GK Michael Woud (1999-01-16) 16 January 1999 (age 27) 6 0 New Zealand Football Auckland FC
2 2DF Tim Payne (1994-01-10) 10 January 1994 (age 32) 53 3 Paraguayan Football Association Olimpia
3 2DF Francis de Vries (1994-11-28) 28 November 1994 (age 31) 21 1 New Zealand Football Auckland FC
4 2DF Tyler Bindon (2005-01-27) 27 January 2005 (age 21) 27 3 The Football Association Nottingham Forest
5 2DF Michael Boxall (1988-08-18) 18 August 1988 (age 37) 65 1 United States Soccer Federation Minnesota United
13 2DF Liberato Cacace (2000-09-27) 27 September 2000 (age 25) 39 1 Football Association of Wales Wrexham
15 2DF Nando Pijnaker (1999-02-25) 25 February 1999 (age 27) 25 0 New Zealand Football Auckland FC
16 2DF Finn Surman (2003-09-23) 23 September 2003 (age 22) 21 3 United States Soccer Federation Portland Timbers
24 2DF Callan Elliot (1999-07-07) 7 July 1999 (age 26) 12 0 New Zealand Football Auckland FC
26 2DF Tommy Smith (1990-03-31) 31 March 1990 (age 36) 56 2 The Football Association Braintree Town
6 3MF Joe Bell (1999-04-27) 27 April 1999 (age 27) 34 1 Norwegian Football Federation Viking
8 3MF Marko Stamenić (2002-02-19) 19 February 2002 (age 24) 41 3 Football Association of Wales Swansea City
10 3MF Sarpreet Singh (1999-02-20) 20 February 1999 (age 27) 30 3 Football Association of Serbia TSC
11 3MF Elijah Just (2000-05-01) 1 May 2000 (age 26) 46 11 Scottish Football Association Motherwell
14 3MF Alex Rufer (1996-06-12) 12 June 1996 (age 30) 26 0 New Zealand Football Wellington Phoenix
19 3MF Ben Old (2002-08-13) 13 August 2002 (age 23) 26 2 French Football Federation Saint-Étienne
20 3MF Callum McCowatt (1999-04-30) 30 April 1999 (age 27) 34 4 Danish Football Association Silkeborg
23 3MF Ryan Thomas (1994-12-20) 20 December 1994 (age 31) 27 3 Royal Dutch Football Association PEC Zwolle
25 3MF Lachlan Bayliss (2002-07-24) 24 July 2002 (age 23) 4 0 Unattached
7 4FW Logan Rogerson (1998-05-28) 28 May 1998 (age 28) 18 2 New Zealand Football Auckland FC
9 4FW Chris Wood (captain) (1991-12-07) 7 December 1991 (age 34) 92 45 The Football Association Nottingham Forest
17 4FW Kosta Barbarouses (1990-02-19) 19 February 1990 (age 36) 76 10 Football Australia Western Sydney Wanderers
18 4FW Ben Waine (2001-06-11) 11 June 2001 (age 25) 31 9 The Football Association Port Vale
21 4FW Jesse Randall (2002-08-19) 19 August 2002 (age 23) 13 2 Scottish Football Association Dundee United

Recent call-ups

[edit]

The following players have been called up within the last 12 months and remain eligible for selection.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Nik Tzanev (1996-12-23) 23 December 1996 (age 29) 2 0 England Huddersfield Town v.  Ecuador, 18 November 2025
GK Kees Sims (2003-03-27) 27 March 2003 (age 23) 0 0 Sweden GAIS v.  Ecuador, 18 November 2025
GK Oliver Sail (1996-01-13) 13 January 1996 (age 30) 9 0 New Zealand Auckland FC v.  Australia, 9 September 2025
GK Henry Gray (2005-03-28) 28 March 2005 (age 21) 0 0 England Ipswich Town v.  Australia, 9 September 2025
DF Bill Tuiloma (1995-03-27) 27 March 1995 (age 31) 47 4 New Zealand Wellington Phoenix v.  Chile, 30 March 2026
DF James McGarry (1998-04-09) 9 April 1998 (age 28) 7 0 New Zealand Wellington Phoenix v.  Chile, 30 March 2026
DF Storm Roux (1993-01-13) 13 January 1993 (age 33) 18 0 Australia Central Coast Mariners v.  Ecuador, 18 November 2025
DF George Stanger (2000-08-15) 15 August 2000 (age 25) 0 0 Scotland Kilmarnock v.  Ecuador, 18 November 2025
DF Lukas Kelly-Heald (2005-03-18) 18 March 2005 (age 21) 5 0 New Zealand Wellington Phoenix v.  Norway, 14 October 2025
DF Dalton Wilkins (1999-04-15) 15 April 1999 (age 27) 3 0 Denmark Sønderjyske v.  Poland, 9 October 2025 INJ
MF Matthew Garbett (2002-04-13) 13 April 2002 (age 24) 37 5 England Peterborough United 2026 FIFA World Cup INJ
MF Owen Parker-Price (1998-12-10) 10 December 1998 (age 27) 3 0 Sweden Örgryte v.  Ecuador, 18 November 2025
FW Andre de Jong (1996-11-02) 2 November 1996 (age 29) 13 2 South Africa Orlando Pirates v.  Chile, 30 March 2026
FW Luke Brooke-Smith (2008-06-08) 8 June 2008 (age 18) 1 0 New Zealand Wellington Phoenix v.  Australia, 9 September 2025

INJ Withdrew due to injury / absent from the national team due to injury
PRE Preliminary squad / standby
RET Retired from the national team
SUS Serving suspension
WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

Individual records

[edit]
Main article: List of New Zealand international footballers
See also: New Zealand men's national football team records and statistics
As of 22 June 2026[53]
Players in bold are still active with New Zealand.

Most appearances

[edit]
Chris Wood is New Zealand's top goalscorer and their most capped player.
Rank Name Caps Goals Position Career
1 Chris Wood 92 45 FW 2009–present
2 Ivan Vicelich 88 6 DF 1995–2013
3 Kosta Barbarouses 76 10 FW 2008–present
4 Simon Elliott 69 6 MF 1995–2011
5 Michael Boxall 65 1 DF 2011–present
6 Vaughan Coveny 64 29 FW 1992–2006
7 Ricki Herbert 61 7 DF 1980–1989
8 Chris Jackson 60 10 MF 1992–2003
9 Brian Turner 59 21 MF 1967–1982
10 Duncan Cole 58 4 MF 1978–1988
Steve Sumner 58 22 MF 1976–1988

Top goalscorers

[edit]
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Chris Wood (list) 45 92 0.49 2009–present
2 Vaughan Coveny 29 64 0.45 1992–2006
3 Shane Smeltz 24 57 0.42 2003–2017
4 Steve Sumner 22 58 0.38 1976–1988
5 Brian Turner 21 59 0.36 1967–1982
6 Jock Newall 17 10 1.7 1951–1952
7 Keith Nelson 16 20 0.8 1977–1983
Chris Killen 16 48 0.33 2000–2013
9 Grant Turner 15 42 0.36 1980–1988
10 Wynton Rufer 12 23 0.52 1980–1997
Darren McClennan 12 43 0.28 1986–1997
Michael McGarry 12 54 0.22 1986–1997

Most clean sheets

[edit]
Rank Name Clean sheets Caps Ratio Career
1 Jason Batty 16 55 0.29 1994–2003
2 Stefan Marinovic 14 30 0.47 2015–2023
3 Mark Paston 13 36 0.36 1997–2013
4 Richard Wilson 10 26 0.38 1979–1984
5 Glen Moss 8 29 0.28 2006–2017
6 Max Crocombe 7 26 0.46 2018–present

Centuriate goals

[edit]
Rank Date Scorer Opponent Score
1st 17 June 1922 Ted Cook  Australia 3–1
100th 7 September 1958 unknown[n 1]  New Caledonia 5–1
200th 20 March 1977 Keith Nelson  Taiwan 6–0
300th 14 December 1981 Wynton Rufer  Kuwait 2–2
400th 11 December 1988 Danny Halligan  Chinese Taipei 4–0
500th 11 June 2001 Chris Jackson  Solomon Islands 5–1
600th 4 June 2010 Rory Fallon  Slovenia 1–3
700th 30 March 2022 Chris Wood  Solomon Islands 5–0
  1. ^ The 100th goal can still be considered unknown, as the order of who scored the goals is still unknown, but the possible authors of the 100th goal are, Bill Hume (where he scored three goals), George Cuthill and Charlie Steele Jr..


Competitive record

[edit]

All-time record

[edit]

For the all-time record of the national team against opposing nations, see the team's all-time record page.[54]

As of 22 June 2026 vs Egypt.
Pld W D L GF GA GD
438 180 78 180 768 650 +118

FIFA World Cup

[edit]
Main article: New Zealand at the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Host Round Pos. Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pos. Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1938 Not member of FIFA Not member of FIFA
1950 to 1966 Did not enter Did not enter
1970 Mexico Did not qualify 2nd round 2 0 0 2 0 6
1974 West Germany 1st round 6 0 3 3 5 12
1978 Argentina 1st round 4 2 1 1 14 4
1982 Spain Group stage 23rd 3 0 0 3 2 12 Squad Qualified 15 9 5 1 44 10
1986 Mexico Did not qualify 3rd 6 3 1 2 13 7
1990 Italy 3rd 6 3 1 2 13 8
1994 United States 2nd round 6 3 1 2 15 5
1998 France 3rd round 6 3 0 3 13 6
2002 South Korea
Japan		 2nd round 6 4 0 2 20 7
2006 Germany 3rd 5 3 0 2 17 5
2010 South Africa Group stage 22nd 3 0 3 0 2 2 Squad Qualified 8 6 1 1 15 5
2014 Brazil Did not qualify Play-off 13 9 1 3 28 18
2018 Russia Play-off 13 8 4 1 24 6
2022 Qatar Play-off 6 5 0 1 18 2
2026 Canada
Mexico
United States		 in progress TBD 2 0 1 1 3 5 Squad Qualified 5 5 0 0 29 1
2030 Morocco
Portugal
Spain		 To be determined To be determined
2034 Saudi Arabia
Total Group stage 3/23 8 0 4 4 7 19 — — 107 63 18 26 268 102

OFC Nations Cup

[edit]
Main article: New Zealand at the OFC Nations Cup
New Zealand's OFC Nations Cup record
Year Host Round Pos. Pld W D L GF GA Squad
1973 New Zealand Champions 1st 5 4 1 0 13 4 Squad
1980 New Caledonia Group stage 5th 3 1 0 2 7 8 N/a
1996 Semi-finals 3rd 2 0 1 1 0 3 Squad
1998 Australia Champions 1st 4 4 0 0 11 1 Squad
2000 Tahiti Runners-up 2nd 4 3 0 1 7 3 Squad
2002 New Zealand Champions 1st 5 5 0 0 23 2 Squad
2004 Australia Third place 3rd 5 3 0 2 17 5 Squad
2008 Champions 1st 6 5 0 1 14 5 Squad
2012 Solomon Islands Third place 3rd 5 3 1 1 8 7 Squad
2016 Papua New Guinea Champions 1st 5 4 1 0 10 1 Squad
2024 Vanuatu, Fiji Champions 1st 4 4 0 0 15 0 Squad
Total 6 titles 11/11 48 36 4 8 125 39 —
  Champions    Runners-up    Third place  

FIFA Confederations Cup

[edit]
Main article: New Zealand at the FIFA Confederations Cup
FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year Host Round Pld W D L GF GA Squad
1992 Saudi Arabia No OFC representative invited
1995 Saudi Arabia
1997 Saudi Arabia Did not qualify
1999 Mexico Group stage 3 0 0 3 1 6 Squad
2001 South Korea
Japan		 Did not qualify
2003 France Group stage 3 0 0 3 1 11 Squad
2005 Germany Did not qualify
2009 South Africa Group stage 3 0 1 2 0 7 Squad
2013 Brazil Did not qualify
2017 Russia Group stage 3 0 0 3 1 8 Squad
Total Group stage 12 0 1 11 3 32 —

Summer Olympics

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Main article: Football at the Summer Olympics
Summer Olympics record Qualification record
Year Host Round Pos. Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1908 United Kingdom London Did not enter Did not enter
1912 Sweden Stockholm
1920 Belgium Antwerp
1924 France Paris
1928 Netherlands Amsterdam
1936 Germany Berlin
1948 United Kingdom London
1952 Finland Helsinki
1956 Australia Melbourne
1960 Italy Rome
1964 Japan Tokyo
1968 Mexico Mexico City
1972 West Germany Munich
1976 Canada Montreal
1980 Soviet Union Moscow
1984 United States Los Angeles Did not qualify 8 3 1 4 8 10
1988 South Korea Seoul 8 4 1 3 24 7
1992 to present See New Zealand national under-23 team
Total Did not qualify 16 7 2 7 32 17

Minor tournaments

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Year Pos. Pld W D L GF GA
New Zealand 1922 Soccer Ashes 1st 3 2 1 0 7 3
Australia 1923 Soccer Ashes 1st 3 2 0 1 8 5
Australia 1933 Soccer Ashes 2nd 3 0 0 3 8 14
New Zealand 1936 Soccer Ashes 2nd 3 0 0 3 2 21
New Zealand 1948 Soccer Ashes 2nd 4 0 0 4 0 17
Australia 1954 Soccer Ashes 2nd 3 1 0 2 4 9
South Vietnam 1967 South Vietnam Independence Cup 6th 3 1 0 2 7 11
South Korea 1976 President's Cup 4th 6 3 1 2 6 4
Malaysia 1980 Merdeka Tournament 5th 7 2 3 2 9 9
Malaysia 1981 Merdeka Tournament 5th 5 2 2 1 2 1
New Zealand Australia 1983 Trans-Tasman Cup 1st 2 2 0 0 4 1
South Korea 1983 President's Cup 9th 4 1 1 2 3 6
New Zealand Australia 1986 Trans-Tasman Cup 2nd 2 0 1 1 2 3
Australia New Zealand 1987 Trans-Tasman Cup 1st 2 1 1 0 2 1
New Zealand Australia 1988 Trans-Tasman Cup 2nd 2 0 0 2 1 4
New Zealand Australia 1991 Trans-Tasman Cup 2nd 2 0 0 2 1 3
Chile Copa Centenario del Fútbol Chileno 4th 3 0 0 3 4 8
New Zealand Australia 1995 Trans-Tasman Cup 2nd 2 0 1 1 0 3
Australia 1997 Four Nations Tournament 4th 3 0 0 3 1 7
Thailand 1999 Four Nations' Cup 4th 2 0 2 0 2 2
China 2000 Four Nations Tournament 4th 2 0 0 2 1 3
Malaysia 2000 Merdeka Tournament 1st 4 3 1 0 6 0
Iran 2003 AFC–OFC Challenge Cup 2nd 1 0 0 1 0 3
Saudi Arabia 2013 OSN Cup 2nd 2 1 0 1 1 2
Japan 2014 Kirin Challenge Cup 1 0 0 1 2 4
Japan 2017 Kirin Challenge Cup 1 0 0 1 1 2
India 2018 Intercontinental Cup 3rd 3 2 0 1 4 3
England 2023 Soccer Ashes 2nd 1 0 0 1 0 2
Egypt 2024 ACUD Cup 4th 2 0 1 1 0 1
Canada 2025 Canadian Shield 2nd 2 1 0 1 2 2
Australia New Zealand 2025 Soccer Ashes 2nd 2 0 0 2 1 4
New Zealand 2026 FIFA Series 2nd 2 1 0 1 4 3
Total 5 Titles 85 25 14 47 95 149

FIFA Rankings

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Further information: New Zealand men's national football team records and statistics § FIFA Rankings

Honours

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Intercontinental

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Continental

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Friendly

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Awards

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Summary

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Competition 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Total
OFC Nations Cup 6 1 2 9
AFC–OFC Challenge Cup 0 1 0 1
Total 6 2 2 10

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". 11 June 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  2. ^ "New Zealand matches, ratings and points exchanged". www.eloratings.net. Archived from the original on 5 September 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  3. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 22 June 2026. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
  4. ^ Burgess, Michael (8 May 2018). "New Zealand Football announce parity for Football Ferns and All Whites". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 19 May 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  5. ^ "New South Wales Tour of New Zealand 1904". RSSSF. 29 November 2018. Archived from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
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  1. ^ Kick-off was delayed until 20:36 due to lightning in the area before the match.[47]
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