Auckland FC star Francis de Vries and Wellington Phoenix stalwart Tim Payne have been called up by New Zealand for a pair of international friendliest against Poland and Norway.
The Isuzu UTE A-League-based duo are among 23 players selected to face Poland in Chorzow on October 10 and Norway in Oslo on October 15 as the All Whites continue to prepare for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.
De Vries and Payne are the only two A-Leagues players in the squad, with the 2025-26 competition set to get underway on October 17.
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Auckland quartet Callan Elliot, Jesse Randall, Logan Rogerson and Oli Sail, Phoenix captain Alex Rufer and young gun Luke Brooke-Smith, Brisbane Roar defender James McGarry and Western Sydney Wanderers star Kosta Barbarouses were involved in the Soccer Ashes against the CommBank Socceroos in September along with De Vries and Payne, however, they have not been called up this time around as the Isuzu UTE A-League season looms.
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“With the A-League season starting so close to the end of this international window, and with us playing in Europe, it makes it challenging for players to get back to their clubs in time to be involved in the first round of games, so this has opened up a chance to have a look at some other players that are on our monitoring list,” says head coach Darren Bazeley.
“These are going to be two challenging games that continue our strategy of targeting top 40 ranked nations to prepare us for what we may face in 2026, and we are looking forward to testing ourselves.
“I want to congratulate both George and Owen on their debut All Whites call-ups.
“I have known both players for a long time and their selections are a result of the dedication both have shown in forging careers in Europe and the work they have put in to develop their games and progress up the leagues.”
New Zealand’s 23-player squad
Joe Bell (28/1) Viking FK, Norway
Tyler Bindon (19/3) Sheffield United, England (on loan from Nottingham Forest)
Michael Boxall (58/1) Minnesota United, USA
Max Crocombe (19/0) Millwall, England
Andre de Jong (10/2) Stellenbosch, South Africa
Francis de Vries (13/1) Auckland FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Matt Garbett (32/5) Peterborough United, England
Eli Just (38/8) Motherwell, Scotland
Callum McCowatt (26/4) Silkeborg IF, Denmark
Ben Old (16/1) AS Saint-Étienne, France
Owen Parker-Price (debut) Örgryte, Sweden
Alex Paulsen (3/0) Lechia Gdańsk, Poland (on loan from AFC Bournemouth)
Tim Payne (45/3) Wellington Phoenix, Aotearoa New Zealand
Sarpreet Singh (22/3) FK TSC Bačka Topola, Serbia
Marko Stamenić (31/3) Swansea City, Wales
George Stanger (debut) Kilmarnock, Scotland
Finn Surman (11/1) Portland Timbers, USA
Ryan Thomas (21/3) PEC Zwolle, Netherlands
Bill Tuiloma (43/4) Charlotte FC, USA
Nik Tzanev (2/0) Newport County, Wales
Ben Waine (24/8) Port Vale, England
Dalton Wilkins (3/0) Kolding IF, Denmark (on loan from Sønderjyske)
Chris Wood (86/45) Nottingham Forest, England
