Our Fantasy FIFA World Cup 2026 team previews continue with a look at New Zealand.
Darren Bazeley’s lot are beneficiaries of the growth to 48 nations, as there was suddenly no need for inter-continental playoffs. This is what stopped them from reaching the previous three World Cups.
In 2010, New Zealand were eliminated despite being the tournament’s only unbeaten team, drawing against Slovakia, Paraguay and defending champions Italy.
Huge outsiders in the bookies’ odds, they are the lowest-placed participant based on FIFA’s global rankings. They’re even below Haiti, Jordan, Curacao and Cape Verde!
To win a first World Cup match, they’ll need to overcome either Belgium, Egypt or Iran.
In these country-by-country guides, we’ll be looking at the best players from each nation, reviewing the road to the World Cup and more.
THE NEW ZEALAND SQUAD
Head coach Bazeley named the above squad on 14 May. The most familiar name to Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers is captain Chris Wood ($6.5m) – their all-time top goal scorer needs one more cap to also reach the most appearances.
Beyond Wood, the likes of Liberato Cacace ($4.1m), Tyler Bindon ($3.6m), Max Crocombe ($3.9m) and Marko Stamenic ($5.6m) played in the latest Championship season.
- READ MORE: Confirmed World Cup 2026 squads so far
THE ROAD TO QUALIFICATION
Because of geography, New Zealand felt like one of the most nailed-on qualifiers in this expansion.
11 Oceania entrants were whittled down to eight, forming two groups of four. Here, New Zealand’s three matches against Tahiti, Vanuatu and Samoa accumulated a 19-1 aggregate score.
Next up, they hosted the other group’s runners-up, Fiji, beating them 7-0, before overcoming New Caledonia 3-0 in Match 2025.
BIGGEST GOAL THREATS IN QUALIFICATION
*note: the xG in the above table is non-penalty
Such a comfortable qualification brought 29 goals across five matches, where Wood scored nine and Elijah Just ($4.2m) netted four times from a mere six shots and 0.87 non-penalty expected goals (NPxG).
Ben Waine ($4.2m) converted one of two penalties, but both were at the end of matches, after Wood had already been substituted. So expect the Nottingham Forest striker to take spot kicks. Unsurprisingly, he led the way for NPxG (3.87) and shots (20).
MOST CREATIVE PLAYERS
As for key passes, the best was Sarpreet Singh ($5.3m), with 14. He wasn’t even reliant on set pieces for that total, with all of those chances created coming from open play.
The only individual to assist more often than him and Peterborough United midfielder Matthew Garbett ($5.0m) was right-back Tim Payne ($3.6m).
Payne was a frequent taker of corners in qualifying, and indeed in the subsequent friendlies.
SINCE QUALIFICATION
| Date | Opposition | Result | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 June 2025 | v Ivory Coast (n) | 1-0 | Just |
| 10 June 2025 | v Ukraine (n) | 1-2 | Stamenic |
| 5 September 2025 | v Australia (a) | 0-1 | |
| 9 September 2025 | v Australia (h) | 1-3 | Wood |
| 9 October 2025 | v Poland (a) | 0-1 | |
| 14 October 2025 | v Norway (a) | 1-1 | Surman |
| 16 November 2025 | v Colombia (n) | 1-2 | Old |
| 19 November 2025 | v Ecuador (n) | 0-2 | |
| 27 March 2026 | v Finland (h) | 0-2 | |
| 30 March 2026 | v Chile (h) | 4-1 | Barbarouses, Just, Randall, Waine |
| 3 June 2026 | v Haiti (n) | 0-4 | |
| 6 June 2026 | v England (n) | 0-1 |
Such early qualification meant New Zealand found time for 12 friendlies, though they’ve lost nine of the latest 11.
The win came at home to Chile in March, their first-ever victory over a South American nation. However, their opponents received a 27th-minute red card when the game was still 0-0.
Another observation is that these nine goals were spread out between eight different players.
WORLD CUP FIXTURES
Things get progressively tougher for New Zealand as the group stage wears on. Defeat to Iran in Round 1, and it’s difficult to see a way back for them.
TOP FANTASY PICKS
The chastening recent defeat to Haiti, another World Cup minnow, means that there’ll be few takers in New Zealand in Round 1. The Iran match-up is their most favourable fixture, at least.
Chris Wood‘s ($6.5m) knee injury sidelined him between October and April, but he was able to start four of Forest’s final six league games, scoring in their 5-0 thrashing of Sunderland.
On penalties and pretty much guaranteed to start, he’s the obvious route into the Kiwis’ spluttering attack.
Meanwhile, at Motherwell, winger Elijah Just ($4.2m) contributed seven goals and eight assists throughout the SPL season.
He’s New Zealand’s leading scorer in the post-tournament friendlies, albeit only with two.
He’ll also be one of the cheapest starting attacking midfielders in World Cup Fantasy this summer.
And the backline is predictably budget-friendly, too.
Tim Payne ($3.6m), Finn Surman ($3.5m) and Michael Boxall ($3.7m) should all start at the rear, with goalkeeper Max Crocombe ($3.9m) likely to join them.
A role as corner-taker elevates Payne’s appeal.
Of course, managers would likely only be buying these for financial reasons, rather than expected Fantasy returns.
