All Whites captain Chris Wood has Christmas knee surgery ahead of FIFA World Cup

Sunday, 28 December 2025

All Whites coach Darren Bazeley reacts after they were drawn with Belgium, Egypt and Iran at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

All Whites coach Darren Bazeley hopes Chris Wood’s decision to have Christmas surgery will allow his star striker to draw a line under the troublesome knee injury that has plagued him for most of the English Premier League season so far.

The 34-year-old hasn’t played for club or country since mid-October and now faces more time on the sideline, but is aiming to “come back stronger and better,” first for Nottingham Forest, then for the All Whites, who will make a third FIFA World Cup appearance in North America next June.

Wood revealed he had had surgery in an Instagram post on Sunday (NZ time). He had been resting his knee, which had been swelling after use, since Forest’s loss to Chelsea in mid-October, which came hot on the heels of his last international appearances, against Norway and Poland earlier that month.

Chris Wood shared a photo from his hospital bed after surgery.

After Forest’s 2-1 loss to Manchester City later on Sunday, coach Sean Dyche said “the signs were good, from the surgical point of view” after the operation, which had been “a version of a cartilage op”. He added that he was “hoping it will be weeks,” not months before Wood was back in action.

Bazeley has erred on the side of optimism while Wood has been sidelined, including for the All Whites’ two matches in the United States in November – losses to Colombia and Ecuador – recently expressing hope he would be back in action around now, during the busy period of English fixtures over the holiday period.

He told Stuff on Sunday afternoon “it was a real shame for [Wood] that he’s having to miss so much football.

“It is probably for the best that this has now been sorted.

“We look forward to having a fully fit Chris Wood back in the Premier League soon, ready to then have a massive World Cup.”

Dyche said Forest “will have to see how [Wood’s knee] settles” before a timeframe for his return to action can be nailed down.

Given how much football he has missed already this season, Wood making the long journey from England to Auckland for the All Whites’ next matches at the end of March might end up being considered an unnecessary risk.

Bazeley said it was too soon to say if Wood would be available for those matches, which will be part of a FIFA Series event.

Chris Wood has been struggling with a knee injury and hasn’t played in the Premier League since October.

The Cape Verde football federation president said this week his country, Chile and Finland would be coming to New Zealand for that tournament.

In announcing his surgery, Wood wrote: “The Christmas I didn’t expect.

“You can never know what football throws at you.

From the highs of last season to now the battles and the lows personally of this season. You have to be ready for anything.

“Truly gutting and frustrating that I’ll be on the sideline for another period of time.

“It’s what’s needed to come back stronger and better to help my team mates do the job needed in the prem and in Europe,.

“Thanks to everyone that’s helped with this. Lot of people have gone out (of there) way over the Xmas period to help my recovery.

“Most importantly to our doctor and medical team. As well as the players, staff and the NFFC family.

Chris Wood thanking fans at Eden Park after the All Whites beat New Caledonia to return to the World Cup.

“Hope you’ve all had a great Christmas, enjoy the new year and see you in 2026!!!

“COYR!!!”

Wood is the All Whites’ all-time leading scorer with 45 goals in 88 caps.

He only played 332 out of a possible 900 minutes for the team in 2025.

He started five matches and came off the bench in three, scoring a hat-trick against Fiji in an Oceania World Cup qualifying semifinal in March and another goal against Australia in Auckland in September.

Wood scored 20 Premier League goals for Forest last season as they finished seventh and qualified for the Europa League.

This season, he scored his 90th and 91st Premier League goals as Forest beat Brentford in the opening round.

But between then and shutting down in mid-October, he only added a penalty in a Europa League loss to FC Midtjylland.

The world no 87 All Whites have been drawn in group G for next year’s World Cup, alongside world No 8 Belgium, No 20 Iran and No 34 Egypt.

After three losses in 1982 and three draws in 2010, they will be seeking their first World Cup win next year, with their campaign beginning against Iran in Los Angeles on June 15 (June 16 NZ time).