NEW ZEALAND NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM

WORLD RANKING: 122

New Zealand Football

GOVERNING BODY:-

New Zealand Football (NZF)

COACH:-

Danny Hay

CAPTAIN:-

Winston Reid

MOST CAPPED PLAYER:-

Ivan Vicelich (88 caps)

TOP SCORER:-

Vaughan Coveny (28 goals)

NICKNAME:-

All Whites

RIVALS:-

Australia

WORLD CUP:-

Appearances: 2

Best Result: Group Stage (1982, 2010)

OFC NATIONS CUP:-

Appearances: 10

Best Result: Champions (1973, 1998, 2002, 2008, 2016)

 

New Zealand

 

The New Zealand national football team represents New Zealand in men’s international football competitions.

The team is governed by the governing body for football in New Zealand, New Zealand Football (NZF), which is currently a member of FIFA and Oceania Football Confederation (OFC).

The team’s official nickname is the All Whites. New Zealand is a five-time OFC champion.

The team represented New Zealand at the FIFA World Cup tournaments in 1982 and 2010, and the FIFA Confederations Cup tournaments in 1999, 2003, 2009 and 2017.

Since most New Zealand football clubs are semi-professional rather than fully professional, most professional New Zealand footballers play for clubs in English-speaking countries such as England, the United States and Australia.

Football in New Zealand

Association football, also known as football or soccer, is a popular recreation sport in New Zealand.

The sport is administered in New Zealand by the governing body New Zealand Football (NZF). It is the third-most-popular men’s team sport after rugby union and cricket.

Among New Zealand adults, it is the 12th most participated in sport, at 7%. Among boys aged 5–17, it is the most participated in sport, with a 17% participation rate.

Among girls, it ranks fifth in popularity at 6%, behind swimming, netball, horse riding, and tennis.

Seven regional federations participate in the administration and promotion of the sport in New Zealand:

  • Federation One (Northern Football Federation) – Northland, Northern and Western Auckland
  • Federation Two (Auckland Football Federation) – Central, Eastern and Western Auckland
  • Federation Three (Waikato-Bay of Plenty Football) – Waikato, Bay of Plenty and King Country
  • Federation Four (Central Football) – Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki, Manawatū-Whanganui
  • Federation Five (Capital Football) – Greater Wellington, including the Kapiti Coast and Wairarapa
  • Federation Six (Mainland Football) – Tasman, Marlborough, Nelson, West Coast, Northern and Central Canterbury
  • Federation Seven (FootballSouth) – South Canterbury, Otago, Southland

New Zealand National League

The New Zealand National League is a men’s football league at the top of the New Zealand football league system.

Founded in 2021, the New Zealand National League is the successor to the New Zealand Football Championship.

The league will be contested by ten teams, with teams qualifying from their regional leagues. Four teams qualify from the Northern League, three qualify from the Central League, two qualify from the newly formed Southern League and the Wellington Phoenix Reserves are automatically given a spot each year.

The regional leagues run from March through to September, with each league having a varying number of games.

The Championship phase runs after the completion of the regional phase with each team playing each other once, followed by a grand final.

Each season, two clubs gain qualification to the OFC Champions League, the continental competition for the Oceania region.

Chatham Cup

Chatham Cup New Zealand

The Chatham Cup, currently known as the ISPS Handa Chatham Cup for sponsorship purposes, is New Zealand’s premier knockout tournament in men’s football.

It is held annually, with the final contested in September.

Regional competition

Premier winter club competition is divided into four regional leagues:

  • The Northern League, consisting of teams from Federations One (North Harbour/West Auckland), Two (Auckland) and Three (Waikato/Bay of Plenty)
  • The Central League, consisting of teams from Federations Four (Central North Island) and Five (Greater Wellington)
  • The Capital Football W-League, is a Women’s Football league consisting of teams from Federations Four (Central North Island) and Five (Greater Wellington)
  • The Mainland Premier League, consisting of teams from Federation Six (Upper South Island)
  • The FootballSouth Premier League, consisting of teams from Federation Seven (Lower South Island)