Ben Old allowed to delay arrival in All Whites’ World Cup camp for French promotion playoff despite injury concern

Tuesday, 26 May 2026

New Zealand captain Chris Wood and his team-mates are determined to create history at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, revealing their goal is to reach the knockout stages for the first time.

Ben Old has been allowed to delay his arrival in the United States for the All Whites’ pre-World Cup camp.

He has stayed in France to try to play some part in his club AS Saint-Étienne’s home-and-away promotion playoff.

The versatile 23-year-old is under a injury cloud and, per his club coach, “doubtful” to feature in the home leg on Wednesday (NZ time).

The All Whites are set to assemble in Boca Raton, Florida, from Friday (NZ time).

Ben Old in action for the All Whites against Chile in March.

A key All White has been allowed to delay his arrival in the United States for their pre-World Cup camp to play in his second-tier French club's promotion playoff – despite being under an injury cloud.

Ben Old is expected to stay with Ligue 2 side AS Saint-Étienne for both legs of their crunch home-and-away playoff against Nice, the 16th-placed team in Ligue 1, this week.

World Cup-bound players had to be released by their clubs as of Monday, though the All Whites are not set to fully assemble in Boca Raton on Florida’s Atlantic Coast until Thursday local time (Friday NZ time).

The two-legged playoff was originally scheduled to take place last Thursday and Sunday (Friday and Monday NZ time), but was postponed when Nice ended up finishing 16th, as they already had the French Cup final to play last Friday (Saturday NZ time).

The first leg in Saint-Étienne will be played on Tuesday night (6.45am Wednesday) with the second leg in Nice to follow on Friday (6.45am Saturday).

It is not yet clear when Old will arrive in Florida or whether he will be available for the All Whites’ first warm-up friendly, against Haiti in Fort Lauderdale next Tuesday (12pm next Wednesday).

An NZ Football spokesperson was not able to confirm specifics with key staff in transit at present.

Saint-Étienne are looking to return to Ligue 1 at the first time of trying, after stumbling down the stretch to finish third in Ligue 2 and miss out on either of the two automatic promotion places.

The 36-year-old veteran has been selected from English fifth-tier club Braintree Town to compete at his second FIFA World Cup, with Darren Bazeley insisting his experience will be vital to the All Whites.

They had to win a qualifying match against fellow Ligue 2 side Rodez to advance to the playoff, where they prevailed in a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw.

Old played the full match, but missed his spot kick, and came out of it with a minor hamstring injury.

Between that and the World Cup release date, his involvement in the playoff had been in doubt until his coach Philippe Montanier confirmed that he was still with the team in his pre-match press conference on Monday (Tuesday NZ time).

Montanier said it was doubtful Old would play in the home leg, with a final decision to be made on the morning of the match.

Old is primarily competing for a starting spot on the left of All Whites coach Darren Bazeley’s attacking midfield trio at the World Cup, with Jesse Randall, Matt Garbett, Callum McCowatt and Eli Just the other contenders.

He is also a chance to receive playing time at left back, a position he has taken up for the first time with Saint-Étienne this season. He started there as he earned his 22nd and most recent All Whites cap, in the 4-1 win over 10-man Chile at Eden Park in Auckland in March.

Old’s versatility has come as a boost to the All Whites, with first-choice left back Liberato Cacace and his understudy Francis de Vries both spending significant time on the sideline with injuries in recent months.

Two months after making his senior debut for New Zealand, Newcastle Jets midfielder Lachlan Bayliss has been included in the All Whites' squad for the World Cup.

Cacace has not played a competitive match since early February for Wrexham AFC due to hamstring and calf inuries, but was an unused substitute in their last two English Championship matches as they finished seventh, just missing out on the promotion playoffs.

De Vries was out for six weeks after being forced off with a calf injury in the All Whites’ loss to Finland in March, but recovered and made three appearances off the bench as Auckland FC won the A-League Men championship.

Old could have an important role to play as the leading duo carefully increase their workload ahead of the All Whites’ World Cup opener, against Iran in Los Angeles on June 15 (June 16 NZ time).

Stuff has asked NZ Football why his injury concern has not resulted in him being brought into camp as soon as possible.

A group of players whose seasons finished in early May have been in Miami, to the south of Boca Raton, since the middle of last week, primarily doing fitness work.

De Vries and Auckland’s four championship-winning World Cup squad members are set to fly out from New Zealand on Wednesday.

All Whites – FIFA World Cup 2026

Squad

Goalkeepers: Max Crocombe, Alex Paulsen, Michael Woud

Defenders: Callan Elliot, Tim Payne; Tyler Bindon, Michael Boxall, Nando Pijnaker, Tommy Smith, Finn Surman; Liberato Cacace, Francis de Vries

Midfielders: Lachlan Bayliss, Joe Bell, Matt Garbett, Eli Just, Ben Old, Alex Rufer, Sarpreet Singh, Marko Stamenić, Ryan Thomas

Forwards: Kosta Barbarouses, Callum McCowatt, Jesse Randall, Ben Waine, Chris Wood

Fixtures (NZ time)

Friendlies

June 3, 12pm: v Haiti; Chase Stadium, Fort Lauderdale

June 7, 8am: v England; Raymond James Stadium, Tampa

World Cup – group G

June 16, 1pm: v Iran: SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles

June 22, 1pm: v Egypt; BC Place, Vancouver

June 27, 3pm: v Belgium; BC Place