Three Wellington Phoenix players have been named in the All Whites squad for their final home matches before FIFA World Cup 2026.
Phoenix captain Alex Rufer (22 caps), fullback Tim Payne and centre back Bill Tuiloma, both 47 caps, have been included in the 23-strong New Zealand squad for the FIFA Series at Eden Park in Auckland.
A further 10 former Wellington players, including academy graduates Joe Bell, Ben Old, Alex Paulsen, Finn Surman and Ben Waine, have also been selected.
Nix midfielder Sarpreet Singh wasn’t considered for selection because of injury.
The All Whites will play Finland on Friday, March 27 and Chile on the following Monday. Both matches will kick-off at 7pm.
Cape Verde will also take part in the FIFA Series and will play Chile and Finland ahead of New Zealand’s matches.
The Phoenix trio will assemble with the national team after Saturday’s round 22 Isuzu UTE A-League match against Brisbane Roar before rejoining the Phoenix ahead of the round 23 fixture against Melbourne Victory in Melbourne on Easter Sunday (April 5).
