New Zealand name squad for FIFA U-17 World Cup
- harrisonryburn18
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
New Zealand have named their squad for the upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup 2025 in Doha, Qatar.
Head coach Martin Bullock has named 21 players, 15 of whom were part of the squad that won the OFC Men’s U-16 Championship in 2024 to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2025.
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Fourteen of the squad play for clubs in Aotearoa New Zealand, with seven based overseas in Australia and England.
Notably, recent All Whites debutant Luke Brooke-Smith has decided not to make himself available for the competition, to prioritise the start of his A-League Men's season with the Wellington Phoenix.
Other notable players in the squad include Auckland FC's Luka Vicelich and Ben Perez Baldoni, and Sydney FC's Ethan Dyer.
Luka is the son of All Whites legend, and the joint-highest men's national team appearance holder of all-time, Ivan Vicelich.
Meanwhile Baldoni picked up the golden boot at last year's OFC U-16 Men's Championship with six goals, whilst Ethan Dyer won the golden ball at the same event for the best player of the tournament.
“This is a strong squad, where the core group have been together for over a year now, so we are all keen to take that next step and show what we can do at a FIFA U-17 World Cup,” said head coach Martin Bullock.
“This will be a different kind of tournament, with everything in one location, which means we have the opportunity to fully concentrate on our game and test ourselves against some good teams.
“I know the whole group is looking forward to getting over to Qatar and getting our FIFA U-17 World Cup journey underway.”
New Zealand have been drawn in Group L at the tournament alongside Austria, Mali, and Saudi Arabia.
The team start against Mali on Thursday 6 November (KO 3:45am NZT), before facing Saudi Arabia on Sunday 9 November (KO 4:45am NZT), and Austria on Wednesday 12 November (KO 4:45am NZT).
New Zealand will be competing in their 12th FIFA U-17 World Cup, and their eighth consecutive.
Their highest finish at the event is a round of 16 appearance on three occasions, in 2009, 2011, and 2015.
In a change from previous tournaments, all matches excluding the Final will be played in a single location, the Aspire Zone in Doha, where games can take place simultaneously across multiple pitches.
It is the first of five consecutive FIFA U-17 World Cup's to be held in Qatar over the next five years, and has also been expanded to include 48 nations for the first time.
New Zealand's 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup Squad
Will Britton – Western Springs (Auckland Grammar School), New Zealand
Justin Cardozo – Macarthur Bulls, Australia
Aaron Cartwright – Melbourne City, Australia
Joseph Chalabi – Wellington Phoenix (Te Kura), New Zealand
Ethan Dyer – Sydney FC, Australia
Van Fitzharris – Auckland FC (Mount Maunganui College), New Zealand
Toby Borgnis – Reading FC, England
Sean Kane – Eastern Suburbs (St Kentigern College), New Zealand
Damion Kim – East Coast Bays (Westlake Boys High School), New Zealand
Alex Lienard – Sunderland AFC, England
Nathan Martin – Auckland FC (Te Kura), New Zealand
Will Martin – Lions FC, Australia
Evan Masamba Kuzmenko – Auckland FC (Auckland Grammar School), New Zealand
Joe McIntyre – Wellington Phoenix (Hutt International Boys’ School), New Zealand
Dan Nelson – Wellington Phoenix (St Patrick’s College, Silverstream), New Zealand
Matias Nunez – Auckland United (Mount Albert Grammar School), New Zealand
Jackson O’Reilly – Brisbane Roar, Australia
Ben Perez Baldoni – Auckland FC (Selwyn College), New Zealand
Jack Perniskie – Wellington Phoenix (Scots College), New Zealand
Luka Vicelich – Auckland FC (St Peter’s College), New Zealand
Michael Wong – Auckland United (Te Kura), New Zealand