New Zealand is the only OFC representative at the 2026 World Cup and goes into Group G as the clear underdog. But the All Whites, as the team is known, are renowned for their fighting spirit and intend to savour every moment on the big stage.

Manager Darren Bazeley has named three goalkeepers for the All Whites: Max Crocombe, Alex Paulsen and Michael Woud. New Zealand are taking part in the World Cup for only the third time – following appearances in 1982 and 2010 – and will face Iran, Egypt and Belgium in Group G.

Crocombe, 32 years old and born in Auckland, is wearing the number one shirt in this tournament and, with 22 international caps, is the most experienced goalkeeper in the New Zealand squad. His path to professional football was anything but straightforward: via Oxford United, Carlisle, Salford City, Brisbane Roar, Melbourne Victory and Grimsby Town, he worked his way step by step into the English Football League. He finally established himself as a reliable goalkeeper at Burton Albion over two seasons before moving to Millwall in the Championship on a free transfer in the summer of 2025. There, with 23 appearances and a save percentage of over 75 per cent this season, he is delivering his most consistent performances at this level to date.

Crocombe embodies exactly what New Zealand, as underdogs, need: composure, reliability and the ability to step up in big moments.

Paulsen, 23, is New Zealand’s most promising goalkeeping talent – and the only one of the trio with a Premier League contract. Bournemouth signed him from Wellington in 2024 for around two million euros, immediately loaning him to Auckland FC, where he impressed in the A-League with 14 clean sheets in 28 matches and won the Players’ Player of the Season Award. This season, he is on loan at Lechia Gdańsk in the Polish Ekstraklasa. Lechia president Paolo Urfer described him as one of the best under-24 goalkeepers in the world when he signed his contract. Injury concerns have hampered his season at times. He is New Zealand’s number two and, in the long term, the natural successor between the posts.

Woud, aged 27 and standing at 196 cm, has had an unusual career path: the Sunderland Academy, Willem II and Almere City in the Netherlands, Kyoto Sanga in Japan, and Auckland FC since 2024. This A-League season, he took over the first-choice role after Paulsen left for Poland and Auckland’s second-choice keeper, Oli Sail, was sidelined with a serious injury. His crucial penalty save in the quarter-final shootout against Melbourne City secured Auckland’s place in the semi-finals. Woud joins as the third goalkeeper with Olympic experience (Tokyo 2020) and a long history with the national team, dating back to the U-17 and U-20 World Cups.