‘Quite the journey’: All Whites attacker Jesse Randall’s rapid rise to the World Cup
Sunday, 14 June 2026
Two years ago, Jesse Randall was tormenting defenders in the Central League with Wellington Olympic. Now he’s at the World Cup.
Los Angeles’ US$5.5 billion SoFi Stadium, where the All Whites face Iran in their opening game on Monday (Tuesday NZT), is a long way from Wakefield Park in Island Bay.
Randall earned his place in the All Whites squad after a breakout season with A-League Men champions Auckland FC, scoring nine goals and providing eight assists.
It took New Zealand gaining a second professional club for Randall to get another opportunity after being overlooked at home by Wellington Phoenix and an unsuccessful stint with Charleston Battery in the United States’ second tier.
“For it to have happened the way it has, it’s been quite the journey for sure,” Randall reflected, two days out from a potential World Cup debut.
“It’s been quite a different route I’ve taken to get here, but it’s all part of it really. I’m stoked to be here.”
Asked whether the World Cup had been a realistic goal in 2024 while he was still playing amateur football, Randall admitted “probably not.”
“It wasn’t something that was really on my mind. At that point in 2024 I was playing for Wellington Olympic and just trying to do my best there to get the next opportunity.”
Auckland FC saw that potential. After making his All Whites debut at the Nations Cup on the back of his Wellington Olympic form, Randall became one of the A-League start-up’s inaugural signings.
Having scored three goals in 20 appearances — only seven of them starts — in his first season, Randall emerged as a key figure in the second.
He was directly involved in 17 goals and finished just three behind golden boot winner Sam Cosgrove, attracting interest from Scottish Premiership club Dundee United.
Randall signed a pre-contract deal with Dundee United in January. He could have waited until after the World Cup to assess his options, but felt the offer was too good to refuse, joining All Whites teammate Elijah Just in Scotland’s top flight.
“At the time it was definitely a weight off the shoulders because you know what football is like, you’re under pressure a lot and the future isn’t certain,” he said.
“To know where I was going to end up was really nice. Obviously you look at it and say I could have waited but I’m super excited to be heading over to Dundee. It was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down.”
Randall is now tasked with supporting captain and star striker Chris Wood.
He shapes as a potential game-changer off the bench, with his pace against tired legs making him an ideal impact option if the All Whites are chasing a second-half goal.
The All Whites failed to score in their final two warm-up matches, losing 4-0 to Haiti and 1-0 to England, and where the goals will come from if Wood doesn’t fire remains one of the major questions heading into the World Cup.
The match against Iran looms as New Zealand’s best chance of a win before tougher assignments against Egypt and Belgium.
“Obviously Woodsy up top is the main man but we’re all going to do our best. There’s a lot of goal-scorers in the front line, so hopefully we can all chip in,” Randall said.
“You want to be scoring goals as a football team and we would’ve liked to have had goals of course, but we leave those games behind now and we’ve got some good challenges coming up.”
Although it was merely a dream for Randall two years ago, the World Cup is now a reality and he’s grateful for all the support he has received along the way.
“It will be a pretty proud moment, especially for my family who have been there the whole way, taken me to training and done all the hard yards.”