Luke Brooke-Smith has earned his maiden call up to the senior All Whites squad after being named as an injury replacement for the Soccer Ashes.
New Zealand head coach Darren Bazeley has handed both Brooke-Smith and former Phoenix academy goalkeeper Henry Gray the opportunity to join the squad ahead of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2025 kicking off later this month in Chile.
At just 17, the forward will become the youngest ever men’s player to represent New Zealand if he takes the field in either of the two matches against Australia.
“Henry and Luke are players we very much see as future All Whites so when it came to looking to name replacements for Libby and Alex we saw it as a great opportunity for them both, especially with them being part of the FIFA U-20 World Cup”, Bazeley said.
“Both have earned this opportunity with really strong performances with their clubs, and while both are young, I have no reservations about them having something to offer at this level.
“Henry has been in squads with us previously but this will be the first time for Luke so I look forward to welcoming him to the All Whites and giving him the opportunity to show what he can do.”
The All Whites face the Socceroos in a two-leg home-and-away series for the historic Soccer Ashes trophy, first at Canberra’s GIO Stadium on Friday 5 September (KO 9:45pm NZT / 7:45pm local), followed by a homecoming match at Go Media Stadium in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland on Tuesday 9 September (KO 7:00pm NZT).
The winner will be decided by the aggregate score across both matches, with the second leg going directly to penalties at the end of 90 minutes in the event of a tie.
Both games will be available to watch live and free on FIFA+ and TVNZ.
