The All Whites will play Norway in October, pitching English Premier League stars Chris Wood and Erling Haaland against each other.
New Zealand, who are #89 in the FIFA world rankings, will get the chance to test themselves against Norway who are rated #43.
The match on Wednesday October 15, 2025, (NZT) at Ullevaal Stadium, will likely pit Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, currently second in the EPL golden boot race with 19 goals, against All Whites captain Chris Wood, who is the league’s third highest goalscorer after finding the back of the net 18 times so far in his best ever Premier League season.
Main photo: Erling Haaland … Norway’s leading goal threat.
Chris Wood … having his best season ever.
Should the All Whites win the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 – Oceania Qualifiers this March in Wellington and Auckland, to secure a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the USA, the match will form a critical part of the team’s build-up programme of fixtures.
“We are fully focused on March’s Oceania Qualifiers, but if we win and secure a place at the FIFA World Cup 2026, it is critical that we face top players and opposition to put us in the best position to perform at the tournament,” All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley says.
“We absolutely are not taking anything for granted this March, but if we come through the qualifiers, we need to have a full programme of games lined up so we have been working hard in the background to lock in some top-tier fixtures to really test ourselves against the sort of sides we could face in 2026.
“This Norway side has some world-class talent playing in top leagues around the world, so it will be a real challenge but a challenge we embrace and are looking forward to.”
READ MORE: All Whites hold their improved position in revision of FIFA men’s world rankings >>>>
2024-25 Premier League Golden Boot
22 — Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
19 — Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
18 — Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest)
17 — Alexander Isak (Newcastle United)
14 — Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford), Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
WATCH: Chris Wood scores 18th goal in his best-ever Premier League season >>>>
International friendly
Game to be played on Wednesday October 15, 2025 (NZT)
Norway v New Zealand
Ullevaal Stadium, Oslo, Norway, kick-off TBC
New Zealand’s World Cup fixtures
In March, New Zealand will play in the final stages of their FIFA Men’s World Cup Oceania qualifiers.
To reach the 2026 World Cup tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada, the All Whites need to beat Fiji in the semi-finals, and then overcome the winner of the Tahiti/New Caledonia semi-final.
World Cup fixtures
Games to be played on Friday March 21, 2025
FIFA Men’s World Cup
OFC qualifiers, semi-finals
Tahiti v New Caledonia
Sky Stadium, Wellington, 3pm
New Zealand v Fiji
Sky Stadium, Wellington, 7pm
Game to be played on Monday March 24, 2024
OFC qualifiers, final
Winner semi-final 1 v winner semi-final 2
Eden Park, Auckland, 7pm
READ MORE: Tickets go on general sale for semi-finals and final of FIFA World Cup qualifiers >>>>
This story was first published on February 19, 2025.