New Zealand head coach Darren Bazeley achieves unique managerial achievement with FIFA World Cup debut

New Zealand returns to the World Cup on Tuesday when they take on Iran in a Group G match in Los Angeles.

The All Whites last played at a World Cup in 2010. This will also be the tournament debut for head coach Darren Bazeley, who took over the team in 2022.

In doing so, Bazeley achieves a rare coaching achievement: he is now the first person to coach a team at the Men’s Under-17 World Cup, the Under-20 World Cup, the Olympic Games and the World Cup.

The 53-year-old started his time in New Zealand in 2005 as a player for New Zealand Knights. In 2011, he took up the coaching job for New Zealand U-17 and then slowly rose through the ranks.

«The challenge for us (at the World Cup) is to keep going and keep progressing. It won’t be easy, but we want to get into those exciting knockout games and see where that takes us,» Bazeley said in an interview with the Athletic.

Published on June 16, 2026