The All Whites squad for the team’s final home games ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, against Finland and Chile, has been named, with Lachlan Bayliss earning his debut call-up.

Bayliss, previously part of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics New Zealand Olympic team, is selected after career-best form in the A-League Men, scoring five goals so far in 2026.

The full squad is:

Kosta BARBAROUSES (70 caps, 9 goals) Western Sydney Wanderers, Australia
Lachlan BAYLISS (debut) Newcastle Jets, Australia
Joe BELL (28/1) Viking FK, Norway
Tyler BINDON (20/3) Sheffield United, England (on loan from Nottingham Forest)
Max CROCOMBE (19/0) Millwall, England
Andre DE JONG (11/2) Orlando Pirates, South Africa
Francis DE VRIES (15/1) Auckland FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Callan ELLIOT (7/0) Auckland FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Eli JUST (38/8) Motherwell, Scotland
Callum MCCOWATT (28/4) Silkeborg IF, Denmark
James MCGARRY (3/0) Brisbane Roar, Australia
Ben OLD (18/1) AS Saint-Étienne, France
Alex PAULSEN (5/0) Lechia Gdańsk, Poland (on loan from AFC Bournemouth)
Tim PAYNE (48/3) Wellington Phoenix, Aotearoa New Zealand
Jesse RANDALL (5/1) Auckland FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Logan ROGERSON (16/2) Auckland FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Alex RUFER (22/0) Wellington Phoenix, Aotearoa New Zealand
Marko STAMENIĆ (33/3) Swansea City, Wales
Finn SURMAN (13/2) Portland Timbers, USA
Ryan THOMAS (23/3) PEC Zwolle, Netherlands
Bill TUILOMA (45/4) Wellington Phoenix, Aotearoa New Zealand
Ben WAINE (26/8) Port Vale, England
Michael WOUD (6/0) Auckland FC, Aotearoa New Zealand

Missing through injury are regulars Michael Boxall, Liberato Cacace, Matt Garbett, Nando Pijnaker, Sarpreet Singh, and captain Chris Wood; however, all are set to return to play ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley said:

“These are two really important games for us as we continue building towards the FIFA World Cup 2026, so it is great to name our squad to play in front of our home fans for the last time before the tournament.

“I want to congratulate Lachlan Bayliss on his debut All Whites call-up. He has been in great form over the last few months with Newcastle Jets, so I’m pleased to bring him in for the first time at senior level.

“We know the deadline for naming our FIFA World Cup squad is getting closer and closer, so we are pleased to be able to give opportunities to a number of players to state their case, especially with a few regulars unavailable for this window.

“Finland and Chile should be great tests for us, and we look forward to taking them on in front of all of our home fans at Eden Park.”

The All Whites will take on Finland and Chile as part of the first FIFA Series held in Aotearoa New Zealand, a competition designed to bring together four competing nations to play meaningful international fixtures against other top sides.

The Auckland edition will see the All Whites joined by Cape Verde (FIFA rank 67), who qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 2026, Chile (FIFA rank 55), and Finland (FIFA rank 75), the first men’s UEFA nation to play in Aotearoa New Zealand in over 30 years.

All matches will be played at Eden Park, with double-header match days on Friday 27 and Monday 30 March 2026, kicking off at 4pm and 7pm.

The first match day will see Chile take on Cape Verde (4pm), before the All Whites face Finland (7pm).

The second match day will see Cape Verde face Finland (4pm), followed by the All Whites hosting Chile (7pm).

Tickets, starting from $20 plus ticketing fees, are available via Ticketek.

The FIFA Series is proudly supported by the New Zealand Government's Events Attraction Package.

Article added: Monday 16 March 2026