All Whites reveal date for FIFA World Cup squad naming; confirm warm-up details
Wednesday, 6 May 2026
The All Whites' first FIFA World Cup squad in 16 years will be named in Auckland next Thursday morning, a fortnight before the team assembles in Florida to begin their final preparations.
Coach Darren Bazeley will reveal his chosen 26 for the tournament in North America at Eden Park at 11am on May 14.
New Zealand will be among the first countries that confirm their squads for the tournament that starts in mid-June.
It was also confirmed on Wednesday the world No 85 All Whites will play Haiti in Fort Lauderdale on June 3 (NZ time), four days before the blockbuster against England in Tampa scheduled for June 7.
Their World Cup campaign is set to begin on June 16 in Los Angeles against Iran. They will then face Egypt and Belgium in Vancouver on June 22 and 27 as they seek their first World Cup win and a place in the knockout stage.
The match against world No 83 Haiti will kick off at 8pm local time (12pm June 3 NZ time) and be played at Chase Stadium, the home ground of Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami until last month.
The match against world No 4 England will kick off at 4pm local time (8am June 7 NZ time) and be played at Raymond James Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the venue for three Super Bowls, in 2001, 2009 and 2021.
Haiti have been drawn in group C at the World Cup, alongside Brazil, Morocco and Scotland, while England have been draw in group L with Croatia, Panama and Ghana.
The All Whites have never played Haiti before and last faced England in 1991, losing a pair of matches in Auckland and Wellington as part of NZ Football’s centenary celebrations.
The clash with England will be their first match against an opponent ranked inside the world’s top 10 since their intercontinental World Cup qualifying playoff with Peru in 2017.
The South American nation were ranked 10th at the time and the All Whites managed a 0-0 draw in Wellington before losing 2-0 in Lima to miss out on a place at the 2018 event.
All Whites players and staff will start assembling in Boca Raton, just north of Fort Lauderdale on Florida’s eastern seaboard, in the final week of May.
They will head across the continental United States immediately after the England match to set up shop in San Diego, their World Cup base camp, which is a two-hour drive from LA and a three-hour flight from Vancouver.
Conditions in Florida are likely to be warmer and more humid than those the All Whites will encounter on North America’s west coast, but that is preferable to the other way around.
Bazeley said the most important thing had been securing two warm-up friendlies in the same state.
“The key was just having those two fixtures relatively close to each other, so that we don't lose training days, and there's not a big toll with travel.”
Starting on the east coast of the US will make for an easier trip for the many players flying in from Europe.
There is not a great deal of suspense around the make-up of the All Whites’ squad, with New Zealand’s professional player pool still one of the smallest in the world and the coach’s selections across the 10 matches since they qualified remaining consistent.
Returns to fitness for key figures Chris Wood, Liberato Cacace, Michael Boxall, Matt Garbett and Nando Pijnaker in the last few weeks have eased worries on that front. Francis de Vries should join them in one of Auckland FC’s semifinal fixtures this weekend or next.
Several of those who look certain to be named have completed their club seasons, including Tim Payne, Alex Rufer and Sarpreet Singh at the Wellington Phoenix.
Wood, Boxall, Joe Bell, Alex Paulsen and Finn Surman will be in action right up until May 24, the day before World Cup-bound players have to be released by their clubs.
Barring a shock omission, there would appear to be three areas where Bazeley and his assistant coaches – Tony Readings, Simon Elliott and Paul Gothard – have decisions to make.
One will be the third-choice goalkeeper behind Max Crocombe and Paulsen, where Gothard will hold plenty of sway and the decision is likely to be between Nik Tzanev and Michael Woud.
A call between Lachlan Bayliss and Owen Parker-Price to provide depth in midfield also beckons, as does one between Bill Tuiloma and Tommy Smith to provide depth in defence.
Smith has not taken the field for the All Whites since September 2024, but Bazeley values his leadership and appears to be prepared to pick him even though he has spent the past season playing for relegated Braintree Town in the English fifth-tier.
Both midfielders could get the nod instead of an extra defender, or an extra forward could be taken instead – with Andre de Jong and Logan Rogerson at the head of the pack if that’s the way they go.
All Whites – upcoming fixtures (NZ time)
Friendlies
Wednesday, June 3, 12pm: v Haiti; Chase Stadium, Fort Lauderdale
Sunday, June 7, 8am: v England; Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
World Cup – group G
Tuesday, June 16, 1pm: v Iran; SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles
Monday, June 22, 1pm: v Egypt; BC Place, Vancouver
Saturday, June 27, 3pm: v Belgium; BC Place