All Whites Name 23-Man Squad for Canadian Shield Tournament Against Côte d’Ivoire and Ukraine

With the countdown to the FIFA World Cup 2026 well underway, New Zealand’s All Whites have announced their 23-player squad for the upcoming Canadian Shield Tournament, featuring clashes against top-tier nations Côte d’Ivoire (FIFA rank 41) and Ukraine (FIFA rank 25).

The matches will take place at BMO Field in Toronto, one of the official venues for the 2026 World Cup, offering head coach Darren Bazeley a golden opportunity to test his team in a high-stakes, tournament-style setting.

“This tournament is a crucial step in our World Cup preparation,” said Bazeley. “Facing two top-50 teams away from home gives us the kind of challenge we need if we’re serious about competing in 2026.”

The squad sees five changes from the group that secured Oceania qualification in March, including the return of Ben Old (AS Saint-Étienne) and Finn Surman (Portland Timbers). Key inclusions also feature Callan Elliot, Bill Tuiloma, and Nik Tzanev, while Tim Payne misses out due to personal commitments.

“We want real competition for places heading into the World Cup and the door is open for everyone to stake their claim to be part of the squad in 2026,” Bazeley added.

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Match Schedule – Canadian Shield Tournament

• New Zealand vs. Côte d’Ivoire
  📍 BMO Field, Toronto
  📅 Sunday 8 June, 11am NZT (Saturday 7 June, 7pm local)
• New Zealand vs. Ukraine
  📍 BMO Field, Toronto
  📅 Wednesday 11 June, 9am NZT (Tuesday 10 June, 5pm local)

Both matches will be streamed live and free on FIFA+.

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Full Squad:

• Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest) – 82 caps / 44 goals
• Kosta Barbarouses (Wellington Phoenix) – 67 / 9
• Tommy Smith (Auckland FC) – 56 / 2
• Michael Boxall (Minnesota United) – 55 / 1
• Bill Tuiloma (Charlotte FC) – 42 / 4
• Liberato Cacace (Empoli FC) – 33 / 1
• Eli Just (SKN St. Pölten) – 34 / 7
• Joe Bell (Viking FK) – 24 / 1
• Callum McCowatt (Silkeborg IF) – 23 / 4
• Marko Stamenić (Olympiacos) – 29 / 2
• Matt Garbett (NAC Breda) – 30 / 5
• Sarpreet Singh (U.D. Leiria) – 18 / 3
• Alex Rufer (Wellington Phoenix) – 19 / 0
• Francis de Vries (Auckland FC) – 10 / 1
• Ben Waine (Mansfield Town) – 23 / 8
• Nando Pijnaker (Auckland FC) – 23 / 0
• Finn Surman (Portland Timbers) – 7 / 1
• Alex Paulsen (Auckland FC) – 3 / 0
• Nik Tzanev (Northampton Town) – 2 / 0
• Callan Elliot (Auckland FC) – 3 / 0
• Tyler Bindon (Reading FC) – 15 / 3
• Ben Old (AS Saint-Étienne) – 12 / 1
• Max Crocombe (Burton Albion) – 15 / 0

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Watch Live:

All games from the Canadian Shield will be broadcast live and free on FIFA+.