The Futsal Whites squad has been named to take part in a three-match series in Ho Chi Minh City against IR Iran (FIFA rank 7), Morocco (FIFA rank 8), and hosts Vietnam (FIFA rank 38) later this month as the team continues to build towards their debut FIFA Futsal World Cup appearance in September.

The 16-player squad features three brothers: Art Twigg, Denny Twigg, and for the first time, Sam Twigg (all Auckland City FC), as one of two uncapped players in head coach Marvin Eakins' side alongside Capital Futsal’s Sean Beresford.

The full squad is:

(Caps / Goals)

Rahan Ali (12/14) Moreland Futsal, Australia

Mike Antamanov (12/1) Auckland City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand

Stephen Ashby-Peckham (41/17) Auckland City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand

Sean Beresford* (0/0) Capital Futsal, Aotearoa New Zealand

Jordi Ditfort (23/13) Bloomsbury Futsal, England

Hamish Grey (12/6) Zambu CFS Pinatar, Spain

Oban Hawkins (20/7) Southern United, Aotearoa New Zealand

Dylan Manickum (63/37) Auckland City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand

Ethan Martin (12/8) Waikato Rapids, Aotearoa New Zealand

Adam Paulsen (12/5) Auckland City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand

Thomas Picken (7/1) Auckland City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand

Casey Sharplin (12/5) Waikato Rapids, Aotearoa New Zealand

Art Twigg (7/3) Auckland City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand

Denny Twigg (5/0) Auckland City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand

Sam Twigg* (0/0) Auckland City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand

Logan Wisnewski (20/5) Bloomsbury Futsal, England

* Indicates a debut Futsal Whites call-up

IR Iran and Morocco are among the powerhouses of international futsal, both reaching the quarter-finals at the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup.

IR Iran has qualified for every FIFA Futsal World Cup since 1992, finishing third at the 2016 edition, and has won the AFC Asian Futsal Cup a record 12 times.

Morocco has won three straight Arab Futsal Cups (2023, 2022, and 2021) as well as the last Futsal Confederations Cup in 2022.

Vietnam is looking to qualify for a third consecutive FIFA Futsal World Cup, with qualifiers taking place following this series, and reached the Round of 16 in 2021.

Futsal Whites head coach Marvin Eakins sees the series as a perfect opportunity for his side to experience top-level competition before the FIFA Futsal World Cup later this year:

“It’s a great opportunity to test ourselves against elite opposition.

“We have high goals for the FIFA Futsal World Cup; we want to get out of the group and compete in the knockout stages.

“We know there’s work to do to get us ready for that, and this tour in Vietnam is a key part of that.

“We’ll play some of the most in form teams in international futsal, all with different styles of play than we’re used to coming up against.

“We haven’t had the chance to face such quality opponents for some time, so it’s a great test for us to get a benchmark of where we sit and what we need to do to be ready for the World Cup.”

The players are also looking forward to testing themselves against the world’s best after securing World Cup qualification for the first time in history last year, including Futsal Whites stalwart Stephen Ashby-Peckham:

“Qualifying for the World Cup still feels surreal at times, it really is a dream come true. Not only for me but for everyone that has been involved over the years. 

“Preparing to play on the world stage brings a different level of focus and we can’t wait. 

“In Vietnam, we’ll be playing against some of the best teams and players in the world. You always want to test yourself against the best and this is a huge opportunity to do that.”

The series will take place from 26 March – 1 April at Lanh Binh Thang Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

The Futsal Whites will kick off against Vietnam on Thursday 28 March at 5pm (11pm NZT), before facing IR Iran on Saturday 30 March at 2pm (8pm NZT) and Morocco on Sunday 31 March at 2pm (8pm NZT).

The matches will be livestreamed and information on how to watch the games will be shared closer to the date.

Article added: Tuesday 05 March 2024