Chris Wood gets back into the game in time for the All Whites’ matches.
Coach of the All Whites, Darren Bazeley, will have been pleased to see captain Chris Wood back in action, especially with international matches later this month.
Following a hamstring injury in late January, Wood made his Premier League debut for Nottingham Forest this morning.
Bazeley has included Wood in his team for the matches against Egypt and Tunisia.
Recalls for Kosta Barbarouses, Dane Ingham, Ben Old, and Oli Sail, who missed the Greece and Republic of Ireland tour in November, are among the 24 players in the squad. Lukas Kelly-Heald, an 18-year-old defender for Wellington Phoenix who has had a breakout season in the A-League Men, receives his first call-up.
Tyler Bindon, Matthew Garbett, Lukas Kelly-Heald, Ben Old, Alex Paulsen, Marko Stamenic, Finn Surman, and Ben Waine are the eight players in Bazeley’s team who are 23 years of age or younger who can represent Aotearoa New Zealand in the July Olympics in Paris.
“For us as a team everything is focused on building towards qualifying for, and then competing at, the FIFA World Cup 2026, so this tournament is a perfect opportunity to play competitive games against highly ranked sides to see how we are tracking,” Bazeley stated.
“It is particularly thrilling to be selecting a team that includes eight players who are 23 years of age or younger and qualified for the July Olympics, including Lukas Kelly-Heald, who is playing for the first time and has had a fantastic season with the Phoenix.
“I have routinely collaborated with Lukas in age group sides, and he has merited this level of call-up.
against Saturday, March 23, the All Whites will take against Egypt in Abu Dhabi. The victor of that match will then play either Tunisia or Croatia, while the loser will face the loser of the other opening match.
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