All Whites host India in Bazeley's farewell series

New Zealand conclude their 2026 campaign with a two-match friendly series against India.

The All Whites begin a two-match home series against India on Thursday. The first friendly kicks off at Auckland's Go Media Stadium on November 12, with the second scheduled for Christchurch's OneNZ Stadium three days later.

Darren Bazeley confirmed this series will be his last in charge. "It's not been that challenging, if I'm honest, because we've just kept it pretty normal, kept our routines and structure and made it as normal as possible," the coach said.

Captain Chris Wood is aiming to end a 14-month goal drought for the national team. "The opportunity to be playing in front of our home crowd again is truly fantastic, especially after the World Cup," Wood said. "It's nice to come back and broadcast what we can do to the New Zealand public."

Building momentum

The series serves as a key part of New Zealand's '100 Years of Unity Through Sport' celebrations with India. It is also strategically aligned to support the free trade agreement between the two nations.

New Zealand enter the matches seeking to build on recent performances. Their last outing was a 2-1 defeat to Japan on October 5, where Ben Old scored a 32nd-minute equaliser from a Chris Wood assist before a late Japanese winner. That result followed a 1-1 draw with Panama four days earlier, leaving the All Whites with a recent form of one draw and one loss from their last two fixtures. You can review the team's full fixtures schedule.

New faces and familiar foes

Bazeley has named a 22-player squad featuring three potential debutants: Corban Piper, Matt Sheridan, and Nathan Walker. The group includes players based in New Zealand, England, Scotland, Sweden, Denmark, and the United States.

Historically, New Zealand have faced India twice before. They played out a 0-0 draw in 1981 before securing a 2-1 victory in their most recent meeting in 2018. The All Whites, currently ranked 88th in the world, are heavy favourites against the 138th-ranked visitors. Their last match against comparable Asian opposition was a 4-0 win over Malaysia in 2024.

Tickets for both matches start at $10 for children and $20 for adults and are available through Ticketek. Both games will be broadcast live and free on DAZN and TVNZ. The second match in Christchurch on November 15 will be Darren Bazeley's final game as All Whites coach.