All Whites centre back Finn Surman rewards coach’s faith with strong bounce-back display
Monday, 8 June 2026
Finn Surman bounced back strong for the All Whites in their narrow 1-0 loss to England.
Four days earlier the centre back had arguably his worst outings in a New Zealand shirt, in the 4-0 loss to Haiti.
He is expected to start the All Whites’ FIFA World Cup opener against Iran, likely alongside Michael Boxall.
Tyler Bindon is the only other centre back to have started an All Whites match since the start of 2025.
Three into two is a simple equation.
It doesn’t go.
Which means one of the All Whites’ three leading centre backs is set to be watching from the sideline when their FIFA World Cup campaign begins next week.
The last 28 starts in that position have gone to three players – Finn Surman, Michael Boxall and Tyler Bindon.
Since the start of 2024, the number is 46 starts out of 52, with the other six going to fellow World Cup squad members Nando Pijnaker (four) and Tommy Smith (two).
In the 14-match period since the start of 2025 where Surman, Boxall and Bindon have been the exclusive starters, the partnership has now been Surman and Bindon six times, Surman and Boxall five times and Boxall and Bindon three times.
After they played 85 minutes together in the 1-0 loss to England in Tampa on Saturday, it’s looking like Surman and Boxall will be the partnership coach Darren Bazeley selects for the All Whites’ World Cup opener against Iran in Los Angeles on June 15.
Bindon joined Pijnaker at centre back for the final five minutes, after playing the previous 23 at right back, a position he could yet take up at the World Cup if a defensive-minded approach is called for.
In the 4-0 loss to Haiti four days earlier, Surman and Bindon played the first 45 minutes, with Surman and Boxall playing the next 21 and Boxall and Pijnaker the last 24.
Surman had called the contest between three players for two starting spots “a weird situation” ahead of the England match – one he went into off the back of a poor evening against Haiti, where he had his worst performance in an All Whites shirt.
Having bounced back strong at Raymond James Stadium against the world’s fourth-ranked side, one of the World Cup title contenders, he has likely eased any doubts there may have been – even only externally – about his starting spot.
“There's always competition within our team for positions, so I'm very grateful that I got an opportunity again today to play and try to show the things that I can do,” he said afterwards.
“Baze trusts me, and I really appreciate that trust, and I always try to repay it. I know that the centre backs, we're all fighting each other to play, but also pushing each other in a really positive way, and I think that goes a long way.”
Just over a year ago, Surman and Bindon started together as the All Whites beat Ivory Coast 1-0 in Toronto on the back of an epic defensive display.
They were less assured in their next start – in the 3-1 loss to Australia’s Socceroos in Auckland last September.
With Bindon falling out of favour at Sheffield United in the first half of his season-long loan from English Premier League club Nottingham Forest, Boxall came to the fore as Surman’s partner.
But the veteran’s first injury in five years meant Surman and Bindon – who became a regular club starter in the second half of the season – were reunited in March and for the match against Haiti last week
There would be few qualms if Bazeley did go with them against Iran. The 22-year-old and 21-year-old are certainly set to become the first-choice pairing in the near future, once Boxall, 37, hangs up his boots.
But right now the sense is Boxall’s experience and Surman’s shot-blocking ability is the combination that will serve the All Whites the best for the challengers ahead.
Bindon’s strongest attribute – his calmness on the ball – might have already helped land him a Premier League deal, but is less relevant for a national team not expected to dominate possession.
He had some good moments up against England’s Barcelona-bound left winger Anthony Gordon in the second half in Tampa, reminding Bazeley what he has to offer.
The use of Bindon as a replacement for starting right back Tim Payne and Ben Old as a replacement for left back Liberato Cacace in the second half of that match was notable.
Francis de Vries, the other left back in the squad, came on in an advanced position, one where his crossing and set-piece ability can still be utilised, but his one-on-one defending is less exposed.
Summing up the experience of playing England – the highest-ranked opponent the All Whites have faced since playing world No 1 Spain at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup – Surman said it was “awesome”.
“Any opportunity when you can play against the best players in the world is just an awesome opportunity and something that we should all be grateful for.
“Okay, coming away from it, we're disappointed, because we've lost. But there’s a lot of things that we can be proud about and take forwards into the World Cup.
“We need to continue to really try to be that hard team to beat – to be solid defensively. That gives us a good chance to continue to create more chances and get more goal-scoring opportunities.”
The All Whites shifted from Tampa to San Diego immediately after Saturday’s match, where they were set to have two days off before resuming training on Tuesday local time (Wednesday NZ time).
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