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Head coach Darren Bazeley has named three fresh faces in his All Whites squad for this month’s two-match series against India in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and Ōtautahi Christchurch.
Wellington Phoenix trio Corban Piper, Matthew Sheridan, and Nathan Walker have all been called up for the first time, rewarding the Nix’s best-ever start to an A-League Men season.
Sheridan and Walker have previously represented Aotearoa New Zealand at age-group level, but for Piper it will be his first taste of international activity.
The squad also sees Matt Garbett selected for the first time since he had to leave the team on the eve of the FIFA World Cup 2026 with injury.
NEW ZEALAND Squad
Lachlan BAYLISS (7 caps/0 goals) – Auckland FC, New Zealand
Tyler BINDON (32/4) – Charlton Athletic (loan), England
Francis DE VRIES (22/1) – Auckland FC, New Zealand
Callan ELLIOT (16/0) – Auckland FC, New Zealand
Matt GARBETT (38/5) – Peterborough United, England
Liam GILLION (2/0) – Western Sydney Wanderers, Australia
Henry GRAY (1/0) – Wellington Phoenix (loan), New Zealand
Callum MCCOWATT (37/4) – AGF, Denmark
James MCGARRY (7/0) – Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Owen PARKER-PRICE (6/1) – Örgryte, Sweden
Alex PAULSEN (11/0) – Motherwell (loan), Scotland
Nando PIJNAKER (25/0) – Auckland FC, New Zealand
Corban PIPER (debut) – Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Jesse RANDALL (18/3) – Dundee United, Scotland
Logan ROGERSON (22/2) – Auckland FC, New Zealand
Alex RUFER (29/0) – Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Matthew SHERIDAN (debut) – Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Finn SURMAN (22/3) – Portland Timbers, USA
Bill TUILOMA (49/4) – Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Nathan WALKER (debut) – Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Chris WOOD (95/45) – Nottingham Forest, England
Michael WOUD (7/0) – Auckland FC, New Zealand
All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley said, “Firstly I want to congratulate Corban, Matt, and Nathan on their first-ever call ups to the All Whites.”
“We track around 50 players so they have all been on our radar for a while but it is their brilliant form at the start of the season which has led to them being selected and we look forward to seeing them step up to this level.”
“I also want to welcome back Matt Garbett who we were all gutted to see miss out on the FIFA World Cup, it is great he is back so quickly as he is an important player for this team now and going forward.”
“With these games coming at the end of a really busy year, and with the number of European club games that some of our players are now playing, we have had to look at some different options for this window but that gives other players the chance to impress which I’m looking forward to seeing.”
“It’s great to be back playing at home here in New Zealand at the end of this big year and I’m looking forward to getting this group together and putting in strong performances against India to finish 2026 on a high.”
The All Whites will end 2026 with two games against India starting at Go Media Stadium in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland on 12 November, before playing the first-ever international football match at One New Zealand Stadium in Ōtautahi Christchurch on 15 November.
Tickets for the homecoming games, starting from $10 for children and $20 for adults, plus ticketing fees, can be booked through Ticketek.co.nz .
For those who cannot attend the games, both matches will be broadcast live and free on DAZN, the home of FIFA+, as well as TVNZ.
Both games are part of a series of sporting events to celebrate ‘100 Years of Unity Through Sport’ between India and Aotearoa New Zealand.
