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New Zealand men's national football team facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see New Zealand women's national football team.
Quick facts for kids
New Zealand
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) All Whites
Association New Zealand Football (NZF)
Confederation OFC (Oceania)
Head coach Darren Bazeley
Captain Chris Wood
Most caps Ivan Vicelich (88)
Top scorer Chris Wood (41)
Home stadium Various
FIFA code NZL
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 119 Increase 3 (7 February 2019)
Highest 47 (August 2002)
Lowest 161 (April–May 2016)
Elo ranking
Current 83 Decrease 7 (3 March 2019)
Highest 39 (June 1983)
Lowest 100 (June 1997)
First international
 New Zealand 3–1 Australia 
(Dunedin, New Zealand; 17 June 1922)
Biggest win
 New Zealand 13–0 Fiji 
(Auckland, New Zealand; 16 August 1981)
Biggest defeat
 New Zealand 0–10 Australia 
(Wellington, New Zealand; 11 July 1936)
World Cup
Appearances 2 (first in 1982)
Best result Group stage (1982, 2010)
OFC Nations Cup
Appearances 11 (first in 1973)
Best result Champions (1973, 1998, 2002, 2008, 2016, 2024)
Confederations Cup
Appearances 4 (first in 1999)
Best result Group stage (1999, 2003, 2009, 2017)
Medal record
Men's football
OFC Nations Cup
Gold 1973 New Zealand Team
Gold 1998 Australia Team
Gold 2002 New Zealand Team
Gold 2008 No Host Team
Gold 2016 Papua New Guinea Team
Gold 2024 Vanuatu & Fiji Team
Silver 2000 Tahiti Team
Bronze 1996 No Host Team
Bronze 2004 Australia Team
Bronze 2012 Solomon Islands Team
AFC–OFC Challenge Cup
Silver 2003 Iran Team
Website

The New Zealand men's national football team, often called the All Whites, plays for New Zealand in international football (soccer) games. The team is managed by New Zealand Football (NZF) and is part of FIFA and the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). Their nickname, the All Whites, comes from their all-white uniform.

The All Whites have played in the FIFA World Cup twice, in 1982 and 2010. They have also competed in the FIFA Confederations Cup four times. New Zealand is very successful in their region, having won the OFC Men's Nations Cup six times. In the 2010 World Cup, they were the only team that didn't lose a game, drawing all three of their matches. However, they didn't make it past the first round.

History of the All Whites

Early Football Games

Newzealand australia football 1922
New Zealand playing Australia in 1922.

New Zealand's first international football match was in Dunedin on 23 July 1904. They played against a team from New South Wales and lost 1–0. A week later, they drew 3–3 with the same team in Wellington. The next year, the team toured Australia, playing many games.

The New Zealand national team didn't play again until 1922. That year, they played three official matches against Australia. New Zealand won two games 3–1 and drew one 1–1. In 1927, Canada became the second team to play in New Zealand.

In 1966, New Zealand helped start the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). This organization helps organize football in the Oceania region.

Qualifying for the 1982 World Cup

Israel v New Zealand - Ramat Gan, 1989 - Ronny Rosenthal
New Zealand playing against Israel during the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

In the early 1980s, the All Whites had a tough time at the 1980 Oceania Cup. They lost badly to Tahiti and Fiji. However, their luck changed when they started playing to qualify for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. They had a fantastic run, not losing any games.

A big moment was their 13-0 win against Fiji. They also played well against their rivals, Australia, drawing one game 3–3 and winning another 1–0. In the final stage of qualifiers, they beat Saudi Arabia 5–0. This led to a play-off match against China. New Zealand won 2–1, which meant they qualified for the World Cup in Spain, known as España '82. This was a huge achievement for the team!

At the 1982 World Cup, 11 of the 22 players were born in the United Kingdom. This included the captain, Steve Sumner. New Zealand lost all three of their games at the tournament. Over the years, more and more New Zealand-born players joined the team.

Becoming Strong in Oceania

Westpac Stadium 14112009
New Zealand playing against Bahrain in a 2010 FIFA World Cup play-off game at Westpac Stadium.

Since the 1990s, many New Zealand players have gone to play college soccer in the United States. This helped them improve their skills. After playing college soccer, many players moved on to play in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the US.

New Zealand used to compete with Australia for the top spot in the OFC. But in 2006, Australia left the OFC to join the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). This left New Zealand as the strongest team in the OFC.

New Zealand qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. They were the only team in the tournament that didn't lose a single game! They drew 1–1 with defending champions Italy and Slovakia, and 0–0 with Paraguay. Even though they didn't lose, they were eliminated in the first round. They finished above Italy in their group, which was a notable achievement.

Tough Times and World Cup Misses

After their success in 2010, the All Whites were expected to win the 2012 OFC Nations Cup. They did well in the group stage, but then lost 2–0 to New Caledonia in the semi-final. This shocking defeat was called "Horror in Honiara".

Russia-New Zeland (13)
New Zealand playing against Russia in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.

This loss led to the coach, Ricki Herbert, leaving the team. New Zealand then failed to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, losing to Mexico in a play-off.

In 2014, Anthony Hudson became the new manager. The team's ranking dropped to 161st in the world because they played very few matches. However, they bounced back and won the 2016 OFC Nations Cup. They only let in one goal during the whole tournament! This win made them the most successful team in the competition's history and qualified them for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia. Their ranking improved to 88th.

At the 2017 Confederations Cup, they finished last in their group, which included Russia, Mexico, and Portugal. After this, their ranking fell again. In 2017, they won the OFC Final against the Solomon Islands. This meant they played a play-off against Peru to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. They drew the first game but lost the second 2–0, missing out on the World Cup.

Missing the 2022 World Cup

After a break of almost two years, the All Whites played friendly matches in 2021 and did well. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup were held in Qatar. New Zealand won all their games there. During this time, Chris Wood became the All Whites' top goal scorer, scoring twice against Fiji and passing the previous record holder, Vaughan Coveny.

Philippe02853
New Zealand playing Australia at Eden Park to celebrate their long rivalry.

Winning the regional qualifiers meant they played against Costa Rica for a spot in the World Cup. Costa Rica scored early in the game. Chris Wood scored a goal for New Zealand, but it was disallowed after a video review (VAR) showed a foul. New Zealand lost the game and failed to qualify for the World Cup. This was their third time in a row being knocked out in the inter-confederation play-offs.

After the qualifiers, the All Whites played two games against their rivals, the Socceroos. These games celebrated 100 years since their first match in 1922.

Team Look and Feel

Team Uniforms

New Zealand's home uniform is usually white with black details. Their away uniform is the opposite: black with white details. This is because black used to be reserved for referees by FIFA.
New Zealand's first national kit, 1922

Kit Suppliers

Many different companies have made the All Whites' uniforms over the years.

Kit supplier Period
Adidas 1972–1983
Le Coq Sportif 1984–1986
Mitre 1987–1988
Pony 1989–1992
Ribero 1993–1994
Mitre 1995–1996
Adidas 1997–2003
Nike 2004–2023
Puma 2024–

Team Nickname

The team got the nickname "All Whites" in 1981. This happened during the qualifiers for the 1982 World Cup. They wore an all-white uniform for the first time against Taiwan. A commentator called them the "All Whites," playing on the famous "All Blacks" name for the national rugby team. The name became very popular.

Team Rivalries

Australia vs New Zealand
New Zealand vs Australia friendly match in London, England, 2005.

New Zealand's biggest rivals are their neighbours, Australia. This rivalry, called the Trans-Tasman rivalry, goes back to 1922, when both teams played their first international matches. It's part of a friendly competition between the two countries in many areas, not just sports.

The rivalry was even stronger when both teams were in the OFC. They often played each other in finals and World Cup qualifiers, where only one team from the OFC could go to the World Cup. Since Australia joined the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 2006, they play less often. However, the rivalry is still important, and their matches get a lot of attention. Even New Zealand's only professional club, the Wellington Phoenix, plays in Australia's A-League.

Team Supporters

All Whites v Peru 11 November 2017
Fans in the 'White Noise' section during New Zealand vs Peru in 2017 at Sky Stadium.

The main group of supporters for the New Zealand national team is called 'White Noise'. This group started in November 2007. They are connected to the supporters of the Wellington Phoenix club, who are called 'Yellow Fever'.

Home Stadiums

New Zealand doesn't have one main stadium where the team always plays. Instead, they play at different stadiums around the country. Recently, big international games have been held at places like Sky Stadium in Wellington and North Harbour Stadium in Auckland. They have also played at Mount Smart Stadium and Eden Park in Auckland.

Recent Games and Schedule

Here are the results of the All Whites' matches in the last year, and upcoming games.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2023 Games

2024 Games

2025 Games

Coaching Staff

The people who help coach and manage the All Whites team are:

Position Name
Technical director New Zealand Andrew Boyens
Head coach England Darren Bazeley
Assistant coach New Zealand Simon Elliott
New Zealand Glen Moss
New Zealand Rory Fallon
Goalkeeping coach Scotland Jonathan Gould
Performance manager New Zealand Ryan Nelsen
Team manager New Zealand Simon Hilton
Sports scientist South Africa Sunz Singh
Doctor Scotland Chan Dassanayake
Physiotherapist New Zealand Roland Jeffery
New Zealand Adam Crump

Players on the Team

Current Squad

These are the players chosen for the recent 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches in November 2024.

Caps (games played) and goals are correct as of 18 November 2024.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Max Crocombe (1993-08-12) 12 August 1993 (age 31) 13 0 England Burton Albion
1GK Oliver Sail (1996-01-13) 13 January 1996 (age 29) 9 0 Australia Perth Glory
1GK Alex Paulsen (2002-07-04) 4 July 2002 (age 22) 3 0 New Zealand Auckland FC
2DF Tommy Smith (1990-03-31) 31 March 1990 (age 35) 56 2 New Zealand Auckland FC
2DF Michael Boxall (1988-08-18) 18 August 1988 (age 36) 53 0 United States Minnesota United
2DF Tim Payne (1994-01-10) 10 January 1994 (age 31) 41 2 New Zealand Wellington Phoenix
2DF Liberato Cacace (2000-09-27) 27 September 2000 (age 24) 31 1 Italy Empoli
2DF Nando Pijnaker (1999-02-25) 25 February 1999 (age 26) 23 0 New Zealand Auckland FC
2DF Storm Roux (1993-01-13) 13 January 1993 (age 32) 15 0 Australia Central Coast Mariners FC
2DF Tyler Bindon (2005-01-27) 27 January 2005 (age 20) 13 2 England Reading
2DF Francis de Vries (1994-11-28) 28 November 1994 (age 30) 8 2 New Zealand Auckland FC
2DF Finn Surman (2003-08-23) 23 August 2003 (age 21) 7 1 United States Portland Timbers
3MF Elijah Just (2000-05-01) 1 May 2000 (age 25) 32 6 Austria St. Pölten
3MF Matthew Garbett (2002-04-13) 13 April 2002 (age 23) 28 5 Netherlands NAC Breda
3MF Marko Stamenić (2002-02-19) 19 February 2002 (age 23) 27 2 Greece Olympiacos
3MF Joe Bell (1999-04-27) 27 April 1999 (age 26) 21 1 Norway Viking
3MF Callum McCowatt (1999-04-30) 30 April 1999 (age 26) 20 4 Denmark Silkeborg
3MF Alex Rufer (1996-06-12) 12 June 1996 (age 29) 18 0 New Zealand Wellington Phoenix
3MF Sarpreet Singh (1999-02-20) 20 February 1999 (age 26) 16 2 Portugal União de Leiria
4FW Chris Wood (captain) (1991-12-07) 7 December 1991 (age 33) 80 41 England Nottingham Forest
4FW Kosta Barbarouses (1990-02-19) 19 February 1990 (age 35) 65 7 New Zealand Wellington Phoenix
4FW Ben Waine (2001-06-11) 11 June 2001 (age 24) 22 8 England Mansfield Town
4FW Logan Rogerson (1998-05-28) 28 May 1998 (age 27) 14 2 New Zealand Auckland FC
4FW Liam Gillion (2002-10-17) 17 October 2002 (age 22) 2 0 New Zealand Auckland FC

Players Called Up Recently

These players have been called up in the last year and could be chosen again.


Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
DF Sam Sutton (2001-12-10) 10 December 2001 (age 23) 5 0 New Zealand Wellington Phoenix v.  Malaysia, 14 October 2024
DF Bill Tuiloma (1995-03-27) 27 March 1995 (age 30) 41 4 United States Charlotte FC {v.  United States, 10 September 2024}
DF Dalton Wilkins (1999-04-15) 15 April 1999 (age 26) 2 0 Denmark Sønderjyske v. Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico, 7 September 2024INJ
DF Lukas Kelly-Heald (2005-03-18) 18 March 2005 (age 20) 3 0 New Zealand Wellington Phoenix 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
DF Dane Ingham (1999-09-08) 8 September 1999 (age 25) 14 0 Australia Newcastle Jets v.  Tunisia, 26 March 2024
MF Cameron Howieson (1994-12-22) 22 December 1994 (age 30) 21 1 New Zealand Auckland FC v.  Malaysia, 14 October 2024
MF Ben Old (2002-08-13) 13 August 2002 (age 22) 12 1 France Saint-Étienne v.  Malaysia, 14 October 2024
MF Fin Conchie (2003-08-10) 10 August 2003 (age 21) 1 0 New Zealand Wellington Phoenix 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
MF Clayton Lewis (1997-02-12) 12 February 1997 (age 28) 27 1 Australia Macarthur FC v.  Tunisia, 26 March 2024
FW Alex Greive (1999-05-13) 13 May 1999 (age 26) 14 2 Republic of Ireland Bohemians 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
FW Max Mata (2000-07-10) 10 July 2000 (age 24) 14 2 New Zealand Auckland FC 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
FW Jesse Randall (2002-08-19) 19 August 2002 (age 22) 4 1 New Zealand Auckland FC 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
FW Oskar van Hattum (2002-04-14) 14 April 2002 (age 23) 2 0 New Zealand Wellington Phoenix 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup

INJ Player is injured
WD Player left the squad for a non-injury reason.

Player Records

Here are some records for players who have played for New Zealand.

Players in bold are still playing for New Zealand.

Most Games Played (Caps)

Ivan Vicelich MNZM (cropped)
Ivan Vicelich has played the most games for New Zealand, with 88 caps.
Rank Player Caps Goals Years Played
1 Ivan Vicelich 88 6 1995–2013
2 Chris Wood 80 41 2009–present
3 Simon Elliott 69 6 1995–2011
4 Kosta Barbarouses 65 7 2008–present
5 Vaughan Coveny 64 29 1992–2006
6 Ricki Herbert 61 7 1980–1989
7 Chris Jackson 60 10 1992–2003
8 Brian Turner 59 21 1967–1982
9 Duncan Cole 58 4 1978–1988
Steve Sumner 58 22 1976–1988

Top Goal Scorers

Russia-New Zeland (17)
Chris Wood is New Zealand's top scorer with 41 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Years Played
1 Chris Wood 41 80 0.51 2009–present
2 Vaughan Coveny 29 64 0.45 1992–2006
3 Shane Smeltz 24 57 0.42 2003–2017
4 Steve Sumner 22 58 0.38 1976–1988
5 Brian Turner 21 59 0.36 1967–1982
6 Jock Newall 17 10 1.7 1951–1952
7 Keith Nelson 16 20 0.8 1977–1983
Chris Killen 16 48 0.33 2000–2013
9 Grant Turner 15 42 0.36 1980–1988
10 Wynton Rufer 12 23 0.52 1980–1997
Darren McClennan 12 43 0.28 1986–1997
Michael McGarry 12 54 0.22 1986–1997

Most Clean Sheets (Goalkeepers)

Rank Name Clean sheets Caps Ratio Years Played
1 Jason Batty 16 55 0.29 1994–2003
2 Stefan Marinovic 14 30 0.47 2015–present
3 Mark Paston 13 36 0.36 1997–2013
4 Richard Wilson 10 26 0.38 1979–1984
5 Glen Moss 8 29 0.28 2006–2017
6 Max Crocombe 6 13 0.46 2018–present

Milestone Goals

These are the players who scored special "centuriate" goals for New Zealand.

Goal Number Date Scorer Opponent Score
1st 17 June 1922 Ted Cook  Australia 3–1
100th 7 September 1958 unknown  New Caledonia 5–1
200th 20 March 1977 Keith Nelson  Taiwan 6–0
300th 14 December 1981 Wynton Rufer  Kuwait 2–2
400th 11 December 1988 Danny Halligan  Chinese Taipei 4–0
500th 11 June 2001 Chris Jackson  Solomon Islands 5–1
600th 4 June 2010 Rory Fallon  Slovenia 1–3
700th 30 March 2022 Chris Wood  Solomon Islands 5–0

Team Achievements

Major Competitions

International

  • AFC–OFC Challenge Cup
    • Med 2.png Second Place (1): 2003

Continental (Oceania)

  • OFC Nations Cup
    • Med 1.png Winners (6): 1973, 1998, 2002, 2008, 2016, 2024
    • Med 2.png Second Place (1): 2000
    • Med 3.png Third Place (2): 2004, 2012

Friendly Tournaments

  • Soccer Ashes
    • Med 1.png Winners (2): 1922, 1923
    • Med 2.png Second Place (5): 1933, 1936, 1948, 1954, 2023
  • Trans-Tasman Cup
    • Med 1.png Winners (2): 1983, 1987
    • Med 2.png Second Place (4): 1986, 1988, 1991, 1995
  • Merdeka Tournament
    • Med 1.png Winners (1): 2000

Summary of Wins

Competition 1 2 3 Total
OFC Nations Cup 6 1 2 9
AFC–OFC Challenge Cup 0 1 0 1
Total 6 2 2 10

More About New Zealand Football

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  • New Zealand women's national football team
  • Association football in New Zealand
  • Trans-Tasman Cup
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