The All Whites will round out 2023 with one of their most extensive programmes in recent history.
On Thursday New Zealand Football confirmed matches against Democratic Republic of Congo in October and a trip to Athens to play Greece the following month.
Those games add to the already announced fixtures against Australia in London (September) and Republic of Ireland in November. It means the team will play eight matches this year in four windows, after it was decided not to assemble this month with the men’s Olympic qualifying tournament taking precedent.
DR Congo (world No 69) and Greece (50) will provide significant tests. The African nation have players spread across the top European leagues – including starting Brentford striker Yoane Wissa – and held Morocco to a draw last year, with the Lions of Africa going on to reach the Fifa World Cup semifinals.
Greece have an experienced squad and great pedigree. They beat Republic of Ireland 2-1 in European qualifying in June, before being shaded 1-0 by 2018 world champions France.
New Zealand Football made a commitment ahead of this new cycle to play more games, against better opposition and so far that pledge has been backed up.
After the trip to Sweden in June, the Greece fixture means the All Whites will face three UEFA nations in a year, for only the third time since 2010.
In 2017 Anthony Hudson’s team played Northern Ireland and Belarus ahead of the Confederations Cup, where they faced Russia and Portugal. Back in 2010 the team had preparation World Cup preparation matches against Serbia and Slovenia, ahead of the memorable games in South Africa against Slovakia and Italy.
Darren Bazeley’s team will also face a challenging two-month stretch, with the clash for the Football Ashes against Australia (world No 27) and the trip to Dublin to play 53rd-ranked Ireland.
“It’s awesome for us,” said Bazeley. “It’s a great opportunity. When you look at the teams, each game will give us a different test. They are all highly ranked, with really good players in good leagues and plenty of threats. We need to be ready, put a squad together that can compete and look to win those games.
“We have got some big decisions to make a lot of competition in different places. And that’s how it should be … players should be fighting competition-wise to make squads, which is great for us.”
New Zealand has never faced Greece or DR Congo at any representative level.
All Whites 2023 schedule
October
All Whites v DR Congo
Estadio Nueva Condomina, Murcia, Spain, October 14, 5am NZT
Australia v All Whites
Gtech Community Stadium, London, England, October, 18, 7.45am NZT
November
Greece v All Whites
OPAP Arena, Athens, Greece, November 18, 6am NZT, (KO TBC)
Republic of Ireland v All Whites
Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland, November 22, 8.45am NZT
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.
