‘Chris will be playing’: All Whites coach eases fears after late press conference change

Friday, 26 June 2026

The All Whites face Belgium in a win-or-go-home FIFA World Cup clash in Vancouver on Friday night (Saturday afternoon NZ time).

All Whites coach Darren Bazeley confirms Chris Wood will play against Belgium despite being withdrawn from pre-match media duties in Vancouver.

New Zealand Football replaced Chris Wood with vice-captain Liberato Cacace at Thursday's press conference to “mix it up” according to officials.

The All Whites must defeat world number 10 Belgium on Saturday (NZT) to reach the World Cup knockout stages for the first time.

All Whites coach Darren Bazeley has said Chris Wood will play against Belgium after New Zealand Football sparked concerns over the captain’s availability by pulling him from media duties on the eve of the World Cup clash.

All Whites striker Chris Wood chasing the ball against Iran.

Wood was due to appear alongside Bazeley at New Zealand’s pre-match press conference at BC Place in Vancouver on Thursday (Friday NZT), but was replaced at late notice by vice-captain Liberato Cacace.

NZ Football head of communications Tris Cotterill said Cacace had been brought in to “mix it up” after Wood fronted the media before matches against Iran and Egypt, despite confirming on Thursday morning that the striker would be speaking.

Former Football Fern Jenny Bindon and her son, All White Tyler Bindon, look back on becoming the first mother and son to feature at FIFA World Cups.

Bazeley laughed off questions about Wood’s availability, quipping it would be a helpful rumour to throw off opposition coach Rudi Garcia.

“He trained fully. I’d probably like to start a rumour for Belgium to think about, but nah, nah, Woodsy is fine,” Bazeley confirmed.

“It’s something we do with our shared leadership. Libby is vice-captain and Woodsy had a few things he wanted to do this afternoon and it just worked really well for us for Libby to take his place. There’s no story. Chris will be playing.”

Wood took part in the opening stages of training on Thursday (Friday NZT), but media were only permitted to watch the first 15 minutes before being ushered away.

The only other time a player has been withdrawn from a scheduled media appearance during the tournament was midfielder Matt Garbett on the day he suffered a hamstring injury, ultimately ruling him out of the tournament.

Media at the World Cup have been on guard ever since Canada coach Jesse Marsch lied about the availability of his captain, Alphonso Davies. Davies arrived at the tournament nursing a hamstring injury, but Marsch said he would return for Canada’s final group match against Switzerland, only to admit afterwards it had been a “decoy” to fool the opposition.

Kiwi football fans will be hoping Bazeley wasn’t bluffing.

New Zealand must beat the world No 10 on Friday night (Saturday 3pm NZT) to reach the knockout stages and are still chasing their first World Cup victory.

Wood set up both of Eli Just’s goals in the 2-2 draw with Iran and has played every minute of the tournament, but is still searching for his first World Cup goal.

Belgium centre back Brandon Mechele said his team had identified him as the All Whites’ dangerman.

“We as defenders will have to focus on their striker Chris Wood,” he said. “That’s our priority.”

The All Whites have shown glimpses of their potential, leading in both group matches, but will need a complete 90-minute performance to avoid an early exit.

Belgium’s squad is packed with star names, including Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Jeremy Doku and Leandro Trossard, but they have underwhelmed so far and likely need a victory to avoid a shock group-stage exit.

Bazeley said the initial hope was that Belgium would have already qualified for the round of 32, allowing them to rest players against New Zealand.

“Now I think they're under a little bit of pressure. They have two draws but are undefeated in 15 games, so they’re on a really good run. They probably haven’t fired as they wanted to this World Cup and if they don’t win this game, they’re potentially going home. It’ll be interesting to see how they react to being in this position.”

Doku, the explosive Manchester City winger, looms as a major threat to the All Whites’ fullbacks. The 24-year-old missed Belgium’s 0-0 draw with Iran after flying back to England for the birth of his son, but has returned for the clash with New Zealand.

“In this game, we need to be flawless,” Bazeley said. “We can’t make a mistake. There’s too many world-class players on the pitch. If we make a mistake, we could get punished. It needs to be a perfect performance.”