All White Logan Rogerson packs for Bali holiday, ends up at the World Cup
Thursday, 18 June 2026
Auckland FC's Logan Rogerson received a last-minute All Whites call-up while holidaying in Bali, replacing injured Matt Garbett for the World Cup tournament.
Rogerson's girlfriend arranged the Bali trip to lift his spirits after he was left out of New Zealand's original 26-man World Cup squad.
The striker didn't pack football boots for his holiday, thinking he wouldn't need them after being originally omitted from the squad.
Matt Garbett suffered a hamstring injury during training two days before the opening match against Iran, forcing his tournament withdrawal.
Auckland FC attacker Logan Rogerson was forced to cut short an off-season holiday in Bali to fly to the United States and join the All Whites after receiving a last-minute World Cup call-up.
Rogerson said it was 1am where he was when coach Darren Bazeley called, explaining that Matt Garbett had been ruled out of the tournament with a hamstring injury and that he needed to get to the US as quickly as possible.
Rogerson was on holiday with his girlfriend, a trip that she had arranged to help lift his spirits after he was originally left out of New Zealand’s 26-man squad.
He decided against taking his boots, thinking he wouldn’t need them.
Rogerson, who was in the air and couldn’t watch the All Whites’ 2-2 draw with Iran, said it had been a whirlwind the past few days after arriving in San Diego and getting through an individual training session on Thursday morning (Friday NZT) in a pair of boots supplied by New Zealand Football.
His girlfriend is still in Bali, having booked accommodation for another week.
“I haven’t even wrapped my head around the whole thing yet,” Rogerson said.
“He [Bazeley] called me about 1am Bali time. I was in bed, not at a beach club, and when he called me obviously he informed me about Garbs and how he’s injured.
“I probably stayed up for a couple more hours to sort out the admin, but managed to get a few hours sleep. I left the next night, so I still had a day to pack and went to a monkey forest quickly, then shot to the airport.”
Rogerson is good friends with Garbett and said it was bittersweet that his call-up came at his team-mate’s expense. The pair spoke briefly before Rogerson rushed to the United States, travelling via Sydney and Los Angeles before making his way down to the All Whites’ training camp in a car.
“I can’t imagine what he’s going through, picking up an injury this close to a World Cup. My initial reaction was that I was gutted, but to be able to join the team was really exciting as well, so there were mixed emotions when Baze called me.
“I messaged him [Garbett] pretty much straight away and said how sorry I am, [and that] I can’t imagine what he was going through. He messaged me back saying; ‘I’m glad it’s you, so soak it up and take this opportunity,’ which I thought was really nice of him.”
Rogerson was part of the All Whites’ previous squad in March and featured as a second-half substitute in matches against Finland and Chile.
He was not selected for the World Cup after scoring just one goal in 26 appearances for Auckland at that point, having found the back of the net nine times in 28 games the season prior.
After his omission, he channelled his disappointment and managed to score in a 3-0 win away to Adelaide – helping Auckland clinch a spot in the A-League Men final in just their second season.
“I remember driving back over the Harbour Bridge. He called me after training and it was a long drive, but the good thing was we still had a game for Auckland, a big semifinal, so I could shift my focus from the disappointment to the semifinal for my club against a strong Adelaide team,” Rogerson said.
“I managed to score that game. It’s crazy, the highs and lows of football.
“It was a good thing I was still in season because I could imagine the disappointment and pain of not being selected would have lasted a lot longer.”
Auckland’s maiden trip to the grand final, which they won 1-0 against Sydney on June 23, meant he was able to stay fit for as long as possible leading up to the World Cup.
After two days of partying in Auckland, he said he treated the trip to Bali as a “wellness retreat” and had been in the gym every day.
That put Rogerson in a strong position when Bazeley needed to find a replacement for Garbett with eight hours to spare before the final squad had to be submitted.
Garbett suffered the injury during a training session two days before the opening game against Iran.
“I remember a month ago, ringing him [Rogerson], speaking to him, and telling him the bad news, which was difficult, because he's been involved in a lot of squads along the way,” Bazeley said.
“He took it really well. He understands the quality of competition he’s up against, but it was probably hard for him, seeing a lot of his [Auckland] team-mates be selected.
“I know he’s been keeping himself fit – he does anyway – he’s in the gym a lot. I had no doubts that he was the right person to bring in.”
With two games in group G still to come in Vancouver, against Egypt and Belgium, Rogerson said his aim is to support the team as best he can and to potentially take the field at the World Cup.
His family have booked a last-minute trip to cheer him and the All Whites on, but at this stage his girlfriend is staying in Bali.
“She was sad, but obviously very happy for me at the same time,” Rogerson said.
“I did feel bad leaving her in Bali, but I’m sure there’s worse places [to be].”