New Zealand, Iran’s first World Cup 2026 opponent, enters with a globally rooted squad, Chris Wood as its headline name and recent friendly struggles.
New Zealand will meet Iran as a familiar underdog with an unusually international squad profile, with only six native New Zealand players listed in the All Whites’ 26-man group, according to a Varzesh3 profile of Iran’s first opponent.
The report says the remaining 20 players trace their backgrounds or national ties to other countries. Six are connected to England and two to the Netherlands, while Italy, France, Australia, Greece, Serbia, Switzerland, Wales, Scotland, Samoa, South Africa and India each account for one player in the squad.
That mix is matched by a club landscape built almost entirely outside New Zealand. The A-League in Australia has the largest representation with 10 players, followed by England’s Championship with four. Major League Soccer and England’s League One each have two, while several other leagues — including the Premier League, Eredivisie, Scottish Premiership and leagues in Poland, Norway, Denmark and France — each have one representative. Auckland FC, which plays in the A-League, has the biggest club presence with five players.
The most recognizable name remains Chris Wood, the Nottingham Forest striker who is New Zealand’s record international goalscorer. Varzesh3 lists Wood with 90 national-team appearances and 45 goals, making him both the country’s all-time caps leader and top scorer. The 34-year-old played 15 Premier League matches this season and scored three goals after missing a significant part of the campaign with a knee injury; last season, he scored 20 league goals and added three assists in 36 matches.
Wood is also one of two players in the current New Zealand list who were part of the country’s last World Cup appearance in 2010, along with defender Tommy Smith. Wood appeared as a substitute in all three matches in South Africa, while Smith started and completed all three games.
New Zealand’s World Cup history is brief but notable. The All Whites previously appeared in 1982, when they lost all three group matches against Spain, the Soviet Union and Brazil, and in 2010, when they drew with Slovakia, Italy and Paraguay and finished third in their group, ahead of defending champion Italy.
The squad’s age profile points to a core in its mid-to-late 20s. The average age is listed at 27.58, with 21-year-old Sheffield United defender Tyler Bindon the youngest player and 37-year-old Minnesota United defender Michael Boxall the oldest. Ten players fall in the 21-to-25 age range, and eight are between 26 and 30.
New Zealand qualified for the 2026 World Cup with a 3-0 win over New Caledonia, completing its campaign with five victories and no defeats. Since then, the All Whites have played 12 friendlies against Ivory Coast, Ukraine, Australia twice, Poland, Norway, Colombia, Ecuador, Finland, Chile, Haiti and England, with a record of two wins, one draw and nine losses.
Head coach Darren Bazeley, a 53-year-old Englishman who took charge in January 2022, has recorded 14 wins, five draws and 15 defeats in 34 matches, according to the report. His preferred setup has been a 4-2-3-1, a structure Iran can expect to study closely as its opening assignment comes into sharper focus.
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