‘I think I should start’: Matt Garbett raises hand high in All Whites’ loss to England
Monday, 8 June 2026
Matt Garbett has made a strong case to start in the All Whites’ FIFA World Cup opener against Iran.
The midfielder had the team’s best chance in their 1-0 loss to England in Tampa on Saturday.
He has consistently shown the ability to rise to the challenge of playing superior opponents.
His strong showing against England came after an 18-month period where a bad club situation had led to a dip in form.
There was a time when Matt Garbett was one of the first names coach Darren Bazeley would write down on his All Whites teamsheets.
That time might have come again, with their FIFA World Cup opener against Iran in Los Angeles now just over a week away.
Garbett was not in the starting XI for the 4-0 loss to Haiti in Fort Lauderdale last Tuesday, but looked hungry playing on the left for most of the second half, before shifting to a deeper role late-on.
Brought in to start on the right of the attacking midfield trio against England in Tampa, he was one of the brightest performers as the All Whites lost 1-0, but restored plenty of pride heading into the World Cup.
Captain Chris Wood had spoken before the match of players needing to earn the right to express themselves and Garbett certainly did that, competing physically, while also having the All Whites’ best chance – a shot from the top of the box that forced England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to react sharply to make a save.
His curled effort followed an incisive run across the pitch and was a reminder of how he is one of the most fearless players in the New Zealand squad – and someone who is capable of making things happen whenever he gets time on the ball.
After the match, Garbett said: “I’m confident in my abilities. I think I should start [against Iran]. I’m ambitious. I want to start in the best games in the World Cup. Ultimately, it comes down to the decision of the coach, but I thought I showed tonight that I should be on that pitch”.
Few of his team-mates would be willing to make such a declaration, but that sense of confidence is precisely why Garbett is shaping as a likely starter at SoFi Stadium in eight days’ time.
He was clearly feeling good after his hour of action against England and you can trust he won’t be daunted by the occasion or the crowd come June 15 (June 16 NZ time).
“I always want to play against the best,” he said after facing the likes of Harry Kane – England’s goalscorer – and Jude Bellingham, two of world football’s elites. “I go into games not looking at the names on the back [of opponents’ shirts], just wanting to prove my abilities and test myself. I go into it trying to be fearless and I thought I did that today.”
Garbett made his All Whites debut in October 2021 as a 19-year-old under former coach Danny Hay and was the youngest starter as they lost to Costa Rica in a one-off World Cup qualifying playoff the following June, having risen to the challenge of playing senior international football with little hesitation.
He was a key figure for Bazeley throughout 2023 and 2024, scoring goals against China, the Republic of Ireland, Malaysia and Vanuatu. But when he found himself on the outer and not playing at Dutch club NAC Breda in early 2025, his form took a hit.
While he kept starting matches – and got going again at club level with Peterborough United in England’s third-tier League One – there was a sense that when everybody was fit, he might end up on the bench, and so it proved against Haiti.
Then came his return to the starting XI against England, which has left him confident and looking a key figure once more.
Speaking to Stuff earlier in the All Whites’ stay in Florida, Garbett said he was “100%” in a better place than he was 12 months ago, having really enjoyed his first season at Peterborough, which could yet turn out to be his only one, the club having already turned down a $4m bid for him from another League One club in January.
“We know Garbs,” Bazeley said after the England match. “He adds a lot of energy, he's competitive, but that position is also competitive, and you've got players ready to take those positions if needed.”
Having started both warm-up matches – one on the right and one on the left – and coming off a stellar club season with Motherwell in Scotland, Eli Just looks certain to be one of the starting attacking midfield trio against Iran.
Sarpreet Singh also started both matches, in the middle, but is yet to show the unmatched creative ability that meant his squad spot was never in doubt, even as his return to the Wellington Phoenix for the second half of last season was ruined by a knee injury.
Asked about Singh’s two “quiet“ outings after the England match, Bazeley said Stuff’s descriptor was “a bit harsh”.
“I think he's been excellent. He keeps the ball really well. He links play really well. What we haven't seen from him is that final killer quality that we know he's got, but I think with his possession and his ability to keep the ball in high areas and bring people into play, he’s very, very good, as some of the other guys are.
“He's so clean with his touch. We know he can live at this level, because he's got quality in him, and these minutes are going to be great for him.
“If we can get him in certain positions higher up in the pitch, you know, we know that he can create those moments where we can go and score goals.“
Ben Old and Jesse Randall have looked lively playing on the left, though Old’s half-hour against England came at left back after he replaced Liberato Cacace. There is also a school of thought they are ideal players to inject into a match in the second half, to run at tired defenders.
The central attacking midfield role had potentially been earmarked for Ryan Thomas, who didn’t feature in either warm-up match while recovering from a hamstring injury. While he is set to be fit to face Iran, he is unlikely to be in contention to start that one.
Settling on the All Whites’ three attacking midfielders is likely to be the selection decision that Bazeley and his staff spend the most time on in the days ahead, with the team now based in San Diego and set to next train on Tuesday.
All Whites – 2026 FIFA World Cup
Squad
GK: Max Crocombe, Alex Paulsen, Michael Woud; DF: Callan Elliot, Tim Payne; Tyler Bindon, Michael Boxall, Nando Pijnaker, Tommy Smith, Finn Surman; Liberato Cacace, Francis de Vries; MF: Lachlan Bayliss, Joe Bell, Matt Garbett, Eli Just, Ben Old, Alex Rufer, Sarpreet Singh, Marko Stamenić, Ryan Thomas; FW: Kosta Barbarouses, Callum McCowatt, Jesse Randall, Ben Waine, Chris Wood
Fixtures/results (NZ time)
Friendlies
World Cup group G
June 16, 1pm: v Iran; SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, California
June 22, 1pm: v Egypt; BC Place, Vancouver
June 27, 3pm: v Belgium, BC Place