All Whites v Iran: Marko Stamenic playing at Fifa World Cup in late father’s memory

Saturday, 13 June 2026

What: Fifa World Cup Group G, All Whites v Iran. Where: Los Angeles Stadium. When: 1pm Tuesday (NZT), TVNZ 1 and TVNZ+ (free to air).

San Diego: When Marko Stamenić needed support last November, the All Whites were there for him.

After his father, Niko, died suddenly, weeks after watching his son play for the national team in Europe, the Swansea City midfielder put football to one side.

“When I heard the news from my mum in Greece, I pretty much dropped everything and went straight to Greece and stayed there for two weeks,” Stamenić told Stuff during the All Whites' pre-World Cup camp in Florida.

“Those two weeks were the last two weeks before the national team break, so I made the decision then and there that I wasn't going to play my next football game for club – I wanted to do it for my national team, for New Zealand.”

Stamenić's close friend Matt Garbett was the first team-mate he spent time with upon arriving in the United States, for matches against Colombia, in Florida, and Ecuador, in New Jersey: “He really looked after me”.

Then came the rest of them: “I couldn't have asked for more love and support than I received in America from my national team team-mates. It was a difficult period of course, but I had the best possible support to get me through that.”

After consulting senior players, coach Darren Bazeley made Stamenić captain for the Ecuador match and hailed him at the time as “an amazing young man” for the way he had dealt with a situation “nobody would want anyone to go through”.

“He wanted to be around his mates. He’s so tight with so many of the players, so I think this was a really good place for him to be.”

Seven months on, Stamenić is at the heart of the All Whites’ Fifa World Cup hopes, set to play a big part in their pursuit of a first win and a place in the knockout stage.

Playing at a World Cup was something that was always in the plans he made with Niko, who “by far, was the biggest” influence of all the people who had a hand in getting him to where he is today. The 24-year-old has been part of league and cup doubles in Denmark, Serbia and Greece and has joined the elite group of Kiwis to have played in the Uefa Champions League, while earning 38 All Whites caps.

'The sacrifices he made, the money spent, the time spent – it's hard to comprehend how much a person really meant to me and how much a person can contribute to what I have done in my career so far.

“But besides football, I think he's been someone who's taught me to be the man I am, which I think is more important and goes above and beyond football. It's hard to talk about, but he lives on in good memories.”

This week in San Diego, where the All Whites are going about their final preparations before facing Iran in Los Angeles on Tuesday (1pm NZT), Stamenić spoke about how he would play in his father’s memory over the next few weeks. They watched the 2010 World Cup together early in the morning.

“Obviously without him in person, but I know he's in here with us in spirit, so I'm really proud of the journey I've had with him and also my family to get me to this point.”

Stamenić was a top prospect from a very young age, possessing a combination of physical strength and technical ability rarely seen in New Zealand footballers.

A Wellingtonian from Stokes Valley, he came through the Olé Football Academy when former All White Declan Edge was at the helm, at a time when fellow World Cup All Whites Callum McCowatt, Nando Pijnaker, Eli Just and Garbett were all present, and another, Ryan Thomas, was the example their coach pointed to as to what was possible.

Stamenić's grace on a football pitch was evident even back then. Evading pressure and keeping control of the ball, he carries himself in a way that immediately stands out, but which can be hard to put into words.

“It’s art, isn’t it?” was how Edge put it in a recent interview. “It's beauty. It's like how some musicians move you, and you can't really explain it.”

But, he added, a lot of work went into ensuring that beauty was nourished at a time when Stamenić could have dominated his peers merely by using his physical strengths.

Stamenić said Edge was “monumental in my career”.

“I remember that, because I had my Samoan roots [from his mum's side], so naturally I was bigger – tall, but quite skinny – and I remember Declan always doubling down on the technical abilities first.”

Stamenić left Olé and New Zealand for Europe in 2020 and played for three iconic clubs on the continent – FC Copenhagen, Red Star Belgrade and Olympiacos – before moving to Swansea in England's second-tier Championship a year ago.

He played in the Champions League for Copenhagen in 2022 and Red Star in 2023, where he joined former All Whites striker Wynton Rufer as the second New Zealander to score at the highest level of club football, netting in a loss to German club RB Leipzig.

Now he is looking to leave his mark on the highest level of international football as well.