Wellington Phoenix defender Lukas Kelly-Heald is the only newcomer in a 24-player All Whites squad named to play two matches in the March international window.
Kelly-Heald (18) has represented New Zealand at age group level but his standout performances for the Phoenix in his debut A-League season have helped earn him selection for the two games to be staged in Cairo, Egypt.
(These games were first scheduled to be played in Abu Dhabi as part of the now-cancelled W Cup.)
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“Lukas is someone I have worked with regularly in age group sides and has earned his call-up to this level,” All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley said when announcing his latest squad.
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Bazeley said the squad had eight players aged 23 or younger, all eligible for the Paris Summer Olympics in July. They are Tyler Bindon, Matthew Garbett, Kelly-Heald, Ben Old, Alex Paulsen, Marko Stamenic, Finn Surman and Ben Waine.
“This is a big year for the team with FIFA World Cup qualifying starting, but I know all of the players selected, as well as the extended All Whites group not part of this squad, are really excited about the potential we have to do something special.”
The new squad sees four players recalled, with Kosta Barbarouses, Dane Ingham, Ben Old, and Oli Sail included after not being part of November’s games against Greece and the Republic of Ireland.
Striker Chris Wood is included after his recovery from a hamstring injury, and after playing a full 90 minutes for his Nottingham Forest side in their 1-0 loss to Brighton on Monday (NZT).
Players who were part of the November squad but not included in the latest selection include goalkeeper Michael Woud, defender Dalton Wilkins, midfielders Matt Dibley-Dias and Joe Champness, and forward Alex Greive.
New Zealand squad
Goalkeepers
Max Crocombe (4 Caps) Burton Albion FC, England
Alex Paulsen (0 Caps) Wellington Phoenix FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Oli Sail (9 Caps) Perth Glory FC, Australia
Defenders
Tyler Bindon (4 Caps) Reading FC, England
Michael Boxall (47 Caps) Minnesota United FC, United States
Liberato Cacace (20 Caps) Empoli FC, Italy
Dane Ingham (13 Caps) Newcastle Jets, Australia
Lukas Kelly-Heald* (0 Caps) Wellington Phoenix FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Tim Payne (34 Caps) Wellington Phoenix FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Nando Pijnaker (18 Caps) Sligo Rovers, Republic of Ireland
Tommy Smith (51 Caps) Macarthur FC, Australia
Finn Surman (1 Caps) Wellington Phoenix FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Midfielders
Joe Bell (18 Caps) Viking FK, Norway
Matthew Garbett (20 Caps) NAC Breda, Netherlands
Clayton Lewis (25 Caps) Macarthur FC, Australia
Callum McCowatt (17 Caps) Silkeborg IF, Denmark
Ben Old (2 Caps) Wellington Phoenix FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Sarpreet Singh (12 Caps) FC Hansa Rostock, Germany
Marko Stamenic (19 Caps) FK Crvena zvezda, Serbia
Forwards
Kosta Barbarouses (54 Caps) Wellington Phoenix FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Elijah Just (20 Caps) AC Horsens, Denmark
Max Mata (9 Caps) Sligo Rovers, Republic of Ireland
Ben Waine (11 Caps) Plymouth Argyle FC, England
Chris Wood (74 Caps) Nottingham Forest, England
*Debut call-up
Bazeley: ‘A perfect opportunity’
Coach Bazeley says the W Cup tournament will be used to build for New Zealand’s upcoming campaigns at the Paris Olympics and the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
“For us as a team everything is focused on building towards qualifying for, and then competing at, the FIFA World Cup 2026, so this tournament is a perfect opportunity to play competitive games against highly ranked sides to see how we are tracking,” he said.
“It also gives us a great chance to test and refine our processes on and off the pitch to continually improve how we operate so that when qualifying comes around we are in the best place to perform.
“This is a big year for the team with FIFA World Cup qualifying starting, but I know all of the players selected, as well as the extended All Whites group not part of this squad, are really excited about the potential we have to do something special.”
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New Zealand’s opponents are all ranked in the world’s top 50 teams by FIFA.
The All Whites (current rank #103) will face Egypt (#36) and then play either Croatia (#10) or Tunisia (#41).
READ MORE: All Whites edge closer to top 100 rankings despite not playing >>>>
Fixtures
Game to be played on Saturday March 23, 2024 (NZT)
Egypt v New Zealand
Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, 9am (NZT)
Tunisia v Croatia
Cairo, Egypt, kick-off tbc (NZT)
Game to be played on Tuesday March 26, 2024 (NZT)
Play-off for third place
Cairo, Egypt, kick-off tbc (NZT)
Game to be played on Wednesday, March 27, 2024 (NZT)
Final
Cairo, Egypt, kick-off tbc (NZT)
How to watch
New Zealand’s games will be streamed live and free on FIFA+.
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