New Zealand schedule China and Palestine friendlies for September

The All Whites have added friendlies against China PR and Palestine in September, expanding their pre-Kirin Cup schedule to four matches.

New Zealand have added two September friendlies against China PR and Palestine to their international schedule. The fixtures create a four-match window for head coach Darren Bazeley to assess his squad following their World Cup campaign.

The All Whites will face Palestine on 24 September at Tongliang Long Stadium in Chongqing, with kick-off at 9:30pm NZT. They then meet China PR at the same city's Longxing Football Stadium four days later on 28 September, a 12:35am NZT start.

Darren Bazeley said the run of games provides a "really good mix of challenges" for his players. "This window could see us face teams ranked from the 90s right up to 17th in the world," Bazeley explained.

Building towards Kirin Cup

The two new matches come directly before New Zealand's participation in the Kirin Cup 2026 in Japan. The team will open that tournament against Panama on 1 October at Yokohama International Stadium, with a final or third-place play-off scheduled for 5 October at Tokyo’s National Stadium against either hosts Japan or Ecuador.

Bazeley emphasised the value of the expanded schedule for player development. "Having four games gives us a great chance to give good game time and opportunities to a wide range of players," he said. This includes World Cup squad members, others from the wider group, and younger talents integrating into the setup.

The team's immediate focus, however, is on their next World Cup qualifier away to Turkmenistan on 24 September. New Zealand currently sit fourth in their World Cup qualifying group with one point from three matches, having lost their last two games. The team's detailed stats and current standings are available for review.

Homecoming double-header confirmed

Following the September and October tours, the All Whites will return to Aotearoa for a November homecoming. They are scheduled to play India on 12 November at Go Media Stadium in Auckland and again on 15 November at One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch. Ticket information for those matches is available via the official ticketing agent.

The team's most recent result was a 5-1 defeat to Belgium in June, part of a run of one draw and four losses in their last five outings. Their next home match is the Auckland fixture against India on 12 November.