Head coach Martin Bullock has named a 21-player squad to defend New Zealand’s title at the OFC U-16 Men’s Championship in August.
The eight-nation tournament in the Solomon islands will decide which three sides will qualify for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Men’s World Cup to be held in Qatar.
New Zealand are the defending OFC U-16 champions and will play in Group B with Samoa, New Caledonia and hosts Solomon Islands at the tournament which starts on August 17, 2025.
The New Zealand squad has 16 players who play domestic football, and five who play for clubs in Australia and England.
All games at the tournament will be streamed live and free by FIFA+.
New Zealand squad
Oliver Anderson – Brighton & Hove Albion FC (Brighton College), England
Tomas Blackhall – Melville United (Hamilton Boys’ High School), New Zealand
Luke Carter – Western Springs (Avondale College), New Zealand
Grayson Cattle – Palmerston North Marist FC (Palmerston North Boys’ High School), New Zealand
Joseph Chalabi – Wellington Phoenix (Te Kura), New Zealand
Jack Clegg – Wellington Phoenix (Wellington College), New Zealand
Willem Des Tombe – Wellington Phoenix (St Patrick’s College, Wellington), New Zealand
Ethan Dyer – Sydney FC (Endeavour Sports High School), Australia
Gethyn Foster – Cambridge FC (Cambridge High School), New Zealand
Cailean Hamilton – Wellington Phoenix (Upper Hutt College), New Zealand
Marley Hunt – Wellington Phoenix (St Patrick’s College, Silverstream), New Zealand
Sean Kane – Eastern Suburbs (Saint Kentigern College), New Zealand
William Martin – Lions FC (Ipswich Grammar School), Australia
Joe McIntyre – Wellington Phoenix (Hutt International Boys’ School), New Zealand
Matias Nunez – Auckland United FC (Mount Albert Grammar School), New Zealand
Benjamin Perez Baldoni – Auckland FC (Selwyn College), New Zealand
Cruz Pietersen – Wellington Phoenix (St Patrick’s College, Silverstream), New Zealand
Keigo Shimokawa – Melbourne Victory (Ballarat Clarendon College), Australia
Ben Trenberth – Wellington Phoenix (Hutt International Boys’ School), New Zealand
James Wenceslao – Auckland United FC (Mount Albert Grammar School), New Zealand
John Woldegiorgis – Western United (The Grange P-12 College), Australia
Fixtures
Games to be played on Sunday August 17, 2025
Cook Islands v Papua New Guinea
Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara, 1pm (NZT)
Fiji v Tahiti
Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara, 4pm (NZT)
Games to be played on Wednesday August 20, 2025
Papua New Guinea v Tahiti
Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara, 1pm (NZT)
Fiji v Cook Islands
Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara, 4pm (NZT)
Games to be played on Saturday, August 23, 2025
Tahiti v Cook Islands
Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara, 1pm (NZT)
Papua New Guinea v Fiji
Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara, 4pm (NZT)
Games to be played on Monday August 18, 2025
New Zealand v Samoa
National Stadium, Honiara, 1pm (NZT)
New Caledonia v Solomon Islands
National Stadium, Honiara, 4pm (NZT)
Games to be played on Thursday August 21, 2025
New Zealand v New Caledonia
National Stadium, Honiara, 1pm (NZT)
Solomon Islands v Samoa
National Stadium, Honiara, 4pm (NZT)
Games to be played on Sunday August 24, 2025
Samoa v New Caledonia
National Stadium, Honiara, 1pm (NZT)
Solomon Islands v New Zealand
National Stadium, Honiara, 4pm (NZT)
Play-off stages
Games to be played on Wednesday August 27, 2025
Semi-final 1
Group A (1st) v Group B (2nd)
National Stadium, Honiara, 2.30pm (NZT)
Semi-final 2
Group A (2nd) v Group B (1st)
National Stadium, Honiara, 6pm (NZT)
Game to be played on Thursday August 28, 2025
Play-off for 7th place
Group A (4th) v Group B (4th)
Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara, 12.30pm (NZT)
Play-off for 5th place
Group A (3rd) v Group B (3rd)
Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara, 4pm (NZT)
Games to be played on Saturday August 30, 2025
Play-off for 3rd place
Loser semi-final 1 v loser semi-final 2
National Stadium, Honiara, 2.30pm (NZT)
Final
Winner semi-final 1 v winner semi-final 2
National Stadium, Honiara, 6pm (NZT)
This story was first published on March 20, 2025, and updated on July 16, 2025..