All Whites to play Finland, Chile at Eden Park in March in FIFA World Cup send-off matches
Tuesday, 20 January 2026
The All Whites will play World Cup send-off matches against Finland and Chile at Eden Park in Auckland on March 27 and 30.
With the Super Rugby Pacific and NRL seasons underway by then, a bumper sporting weekend is in store for New Zealand’s largest city.
Finland and Chile were confirmed to be taking part in the four-team FIFA Series event in Auckland in March, which has financial backing from the global governing body and the New Zealand government, at the end of December.
The Cape Verde football association president revealed those two teams would join his African nation in travelling to New Zealand during the international window that runs from March 23 to 31.
World No 75 Finland and No 52 Chile have not qualified for the World Cup. World No 67 Cape Verde, who have, will play those two nations in curtain-raisers to the All Whites’ matches, in the reverse order.
World No 87 New Zealand will face Finland on Friday, March 27, the same night the Warriors host Wests Tigers at Go Media Stadium and Moana Pasifika host the Highlanders at North Harbour Stadium.
It will be the All Whites’ first home match against a European nation since they suffered a pair of losses to England in Auckland and Wellington in 1991 – NZ Football’s centenary year.
Finland finished third in their group in European World Cup qualifying, behind the Netherlands, who qualified automatically, and Poland, who now have to win two playoff matches in March.
They won three of their eight matches, beating Malta twice and Lithuania once.
New Zealand and Finland have never met before at any level of men’s football.
The All Whites will then face Chile on Monday, March 30.
Chile finished last in South American World Cup qualifying, winning just two of their 18 matches.
The All Whites have played Chile on four occasions, including in Auckland in 1998, where the two teams drew 0-0.
The All Whites have never beaten a South American opponent, most recently losing 2-1 to Colombia and 2-0 to Ecuador in the United States in November.
They were nine points adrift of seventh-placed Bolivia, who will play in the intercontinental playoffs in Mexico in March and 17 points behind sixth-placed Paraguay, the last of the region’s automatic qualifiers.
In between the two sets of football matches, Eden Park is set to host a Super Rugby match between the Blues and the Fijian Drua on Saturday, March 28.
The All Whites last played at Eden Park last March, when they beat New Caledonia 3-0 in front of 25,132 fans in the Oceania World Cup qualifying final to book their spot at the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
All Whites coach Darren Bazeley said in a statement: “These games are perfect for us as they will give us a real test and aid our preparation for the FIFA World Cup, while also being at home and giving fans the opportunity to support the team before we head to Canada, Mexico and the US.
“Both Chile and Finland will be challenging opponents, so we expect some really competitive matches, which is exciting for everyone.
“2026 is going to be a massive year for football, so it’s great to announce these fixtures and kick it off in the best way possible.”
Bazeley’s squad for the Finland and Chile matches is likely to be named the week beginning March 9 or the week beginning March 16.
Star striker Chris Wood looks likely to miss both fixtures after having knee surgery just prior to Christmas.
He is yet to return to action with his English Premier League club, Nottingham Forest.
Forest coach Sean Dyche is yet to even offer a timeframe for Wood’s return, but he is expected back before the end of the season.
NZ Football is looking to arrange two final World Cup warm-up matches for the All Whites at the start of June in the US, ahead of their tournament opener on June 15 (June 16 NZ time).
The All Whites have been drawn in group G for the 48-team tournament, alongside world No 8 Belgium, No 20 Iran and No 35 Egypt.
After three losses in Spain in 1982 and three draws in South Africa in 2010, they will be seeking their first World Cup win in North America.
FIFA Series: Auckland – fixtures
All matches at Eden Park
Friday, March 27, 4pm: Cape Verde v Chile
Friday, March 27, 7pm: All Whites v Finland
Monday, March 30, 4pm: Cape Verde v Finland
Monday, March 30, 7pm: All Whites v Chile