Wellington Phoenix trio Alex Rufer, Kosta Barbarouses and Tim Payne have been called up by New Zealand for international friendlies against 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup co-hosts Mexico and the United States.
Phoenix captain Rufer, 2023-24 leading goalscorer Barbarouses and defender Payne are in the 21-player squad for next month’s fixtures against Mexico in Los Angeles on September 8 and versus the USA in Cincinnati on September 11.
The trio are joined by Perth Glory goalkeeper Oli Sail and Auckland FC duo Tommy Smith and Alex Paulsen, who is on loan at the incoming A-Leagues club after he was prised from the Phoenix by Premier League side Bournemouth at the end of an historic 2023-24 Isuzu UTE A-League season.
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Wellington graduates Ben Old (Saint-Etienne), Paulsen and Finn Surman (Portland Timbers) are in the squad following life-changing moves from the Phoenix.
“Playing two games against two of the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosts, in one of the host countries, is the perfect motivation for our players ahead of starting our own journey to qualify for the tournament this October,” said head coach Darren Bazeley.
“These are both two top sides but we need to be testing ourselves at this level so we are prepared for what we could face should we qualify for the World Cup.
“For the Mexico game we are likely going to be facing a huge and passionate Mexican crowd, and for the U.S.A. game they could potentially have a new head coach in place, so these games will present new and interesting challenges for us which we will embrace as a team.
“We have seen a lot of high-profile transfers for our players over the last few months, so it will be great to assemble as a squad and witness how our players are developing ahead of some significant games for the team.”
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New Zealand squad
Kosta Barbarouses (60 caps/7 goals) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Joe Bell (18/1) Viking FK, Norway
Tyler Bindon (10/0) Reading, England
Matthew Garbett (22/3) NAC Breda, Netherlands
Michael Boxall (49/0) Minnesota United, USA
Liberato Cacace (25/1) Empoli FC, Italy
Max Crocombe (9/0) Burton Albion, England
Elijah Just (26/2) SKN St. Pölten, Austria (on loan from AC Horsens)
Ben Old (8/1) AS Saint Etienne, France
Alex Paulsen (1/0) Auckland FC, New Zealand (on loan from AFC Bournemouth)
Tim Payne (37/2) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Nando Pijnaker (19/0) Sligo Rovers, Republic of Ireland
Alex Rufer (13/0) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Oli Sail (9/0) Perth Glory, Australia
Sarpreet Singh (14/1), Unattached
Tommy Smith (55/2) Auckland FC, New Zealand
Marko Stamenić (21/1) Olympiacos, Greece (on loan from Nottingham Forest)
Finn Surman (5/1) Portland Timbers, USA
Ben Waine (16/5) Plymouth Argyle, England
Dalton Wilkins (3/0) Sonderjyske Fodbold, Denmark
Chris Wood (74/34) Nottingham Forest, England
