2026 World Cup New Zealand Squad Watchlist Revealed: What to Look For From the All Whites?

Updated: 2026-06-17 | Live data is subject to official announcements

The 2026 World Cup is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, with the schedule running from June 11 to July 19 and the final in New Jersey. New Zealand, this Oceania side, have landed in Group G, where their group opponents are Belgium, Iran and Egypt, three teams that all sit a good distance above the 85th-ranked All Whites in the FIFA rankings. For readers living in Canada, or planning to fly in for the games, this team is actually worth paying special attention to: two of their three group matches are being staged at Vancouver’s BC Place, making them one of the few teams who will play at home in Canada while also carrying a star striker.

In Group G, Belgium are ranked around 9th in the FIFA rankings and are the biggest favourites in the group; Iran are around 20th, an Asian regular with strict organisational discipline; Egypt are around 29th, an African powerhouse widely seen as the key opponent for New Zealand’s qualification hopes. New Zealand are the lowest-ranked nation at this tournament, leaning on defence and physical battles, very much the dark horse among dark horses. Snatching a qualifying spot from these three is no easy task, but under this edition’s 48-team format the third-placed teams in each group also have a chance of squeezing into the knockout rounds with a better record, which makes that match against Egypt especially important for them.

The opener has already been played, and it was more thrilling than expected. On June 15 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, New Zealand drew 2-2 with Iran: Motherwell striker Elijah Just scored a brace, both goals assisted by captain Chris Wood, but Iran twice equalised through goals from Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebbi, denying the All Whites their first-ever World Cup win once again. In other words, the two upcoming matches in Vancouver amount to New Zealand’s real do-or-die games.

One point that needs special clarification: quite a few early write-ups put all three of New Zealand’s matches in Vancouver, which is actually wrong. The opener was in Los Angeles, USA, and only the latter two return to Canada’s BC Place. Below is the currently published schedule (local time, please make a final check against FIFA’s official schedule page):

For fans on Canada’s west coast this scheduling is actually very friendly: both Vancouver matches fall in the afternoon-to-evening window, so there is no need to stay up all night. BC Place is in the downtown core, a short walk from the Stadium–Chinatown SkyTrain station, and on match days especially we recommend taking public transit rather than driving and fighting for a parking spot. If you want to plan your day around venue details, start with our Vancouver guide. And if you want to make the pilgrimage to the Iran match as well, remember that one is in Los Angeles, which means crossing borders: accommodation, transport and entry all have to be planned separately and cannot follow the same single-city plan. For a fuller comparison of where to watch, see our round-up of where to watch in Canada.

Squad talking points: Chris Wood leads the line, with veterans alongside fresh blood from European systems

New Zealand head coach Darren Bazeley has announced a 26-man squad whose biggest overall hallmark is its high level of experience, with very few genuine rookies. Chris Wood (captain, striker, Nottingham Forest) is without question the attacking focal point; at 34 he is the holder of the team’s appearance, goalscoring and captaincy records all at once, with roughly 91 caps and 45 goals for the national team. He is strong, dangerous in the air, and his aerial challenges from set pieces and inside the box are New Zealand’s most threatening means of scoring; although he did not score against Iran, he provided two assists, and his form remains a talking point. Tommy Smith (defender, Braintree Town), like Wood, played at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and this time the pair become the first players in New Zealand men’s football to appear at two World Cups, making them the most story-laden presence on the list.

In the middle and front of the pitch, Marko Stamenić (midfielder, Swansea City) brings experience and some creativity to midfield, and is one of the better points besides Wood for organising attacks; Elijah Just (midfielder, Motherwell) proved with his brace against Iran that he is the most efficient member of the front line, and he is worth keeping an eye on across the two Vancouver matches. On the back line, Liberato Cacace (defender/left side, Wrexham) is a regular fixture, and Max Crocombe (goalkeeper, Millwall) guards the last line: against an opponent like Belgium, the goalkeeper’s performance will directly affect the scoreline. Many players on the list come from the English and European league systems, reflecting the recent trend of New Zealand players moving abroad to Europe. It is worth noting that player injuries and the final matchday line-up can all change before kick-off, so defer to the official announcement at the time.

As for what kind of match to expect: if you are coming for flamboyant attacking football, New Zealand are probably not the first choice; but if you enjoy watching an underdog use discipline and physical battles to tie down a stronger power, this team has plenty to offer. Bazeley’s tactical leaning is to attempt possession and organised attacks against opponents of similar or lesser strength, and against a level like Belgium to fall back on solid defending, using set pieces and long balls to create chances for Chris Wood. In other words, the match is often not an end-to-end shoot-out but a test of whether they can hold firm and whether they can seize scattered chances; if that game against Egypt turns into an even contest, it will be the one match in the whole group most worth locking onto.

How to watch New Zealand’s matches in Canada

On broadcast rights, this World Cup is handled by platforms under Bell Media: all 104 matches are shown live in full on the English-language TSN and the French-language RDS, including New Zealand’s three group games; some of the key fixtures will also air on the over-the-air channel CTV and the streaming platform Crave (via the CTV live feed), but not every match will be on CTV. To follow New Zealand all the way through, the TSN channel family and TSN+ streaming are the most complete option; if you do not have a TSN subscription, watch for whether a given match is on CTV / Crave; French-language viewers should turn to RDS. Both Vancouver matches are in the afternoon-to-evening window, among the few games that do not require setting an alarm, equally suited to watching at home, in a sports bar, or at the city’s fan-zone areas. For the channel matching and start times of each match, we recommend deferring to the weekly schedule on TSN’s official website.

A few final things to note about entry and itinerary: tickets are governed solely by FIFA’s official ticketing platform, with prices and on-sale timing released in phases; never buy through social-media direct messages, screenshots, or resale channels of unknown origin. On accommodation, downtown room rates around Vancouver match days will rise noticeably, so book as early as possible, prioritise rooms with free cancellation, and you can widen your search to the Greater Vancouver area along the SkyTrain lines. On entry, international travellers entering Canada mostly need to apply in advance for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) or a visa, depending on nationality rules; confirm before departure. If you also want to take in the Los Angeles match, entry into the U.S. is a separate matter. On weather, Vancouver in June can see occasional rain and large day-night temperature swings; although BC Place has a roof, we still recommend bringing a jacket you can layer for the trips to and from. For more on the overall context of Canada’s host cities and schedule, see the 2026 World Cup hub.