International
2026-11-12 - New Zealand vs India
A Sports Betting Pick by Gooner
International Friendly
Thursday, 12th November 2026, 7pm NZDT
The All Whites return to home soil on Thursday night when they take on India at Go Media Stadium in Auckland. It is the first of two matches between the countries this week, with the teams meeting again in Christchurch on Sunday.
New Zealand will be looking to make the most of home advantage after their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, and on paper they should have enough quality to get the job done. The latest FIFA rankings list New Zealand 86th in the world, with India down in 138th. That's a sizeable gap, although rankings don't always tell the whole story.
There is plenty of familiar quality in Darren Bazeley's squad, with Chris Wood the obvious headline name. The Nottingham Forest striker has been selected and is available for the series, bringing an impressive 95 caps and 45 international goals to the party.
Midfielder Matt Garbett is also back after the injury that ruled him out of the World Cup, while veteran defender Michael Boxall has been added to the squad following Tyler Bindon's withdrawal through injury. There are also opportunities for three new faces, with Wellington Phoenix trio Corban Piper, Matthew Sheridan and Nathan Walker earning their first senior call-ups.
The two matches will also mark the end of Darren Bazeley's time as All Whites head coach. His contract expires in December and New Zealand Football has decided not to renew it, despite Bazeley having guided the country to its first World Cup appearance since 2010.
He would have been keen to continue, but the decision has been made and the India series gives him a final chance to lead the team in front of home supporters. A new coach will take charge for the next international cycle.
India, coached by Khalid Jamil, will be keen to make life difficult for the hosts, but the visitors are the lower-ranked side and will be playing away from home. The two countries have met only twice before, with New Zealand winning 2-1 in Mumbai in 2018 after a goalless draw back in 1981.
The All Whites will be expected to control more of the game, and with Wood leading the attack they have a proven goalscorer capable of making the difference.
There should be enough quality in the New Zealand side to start the home series with a win. India may make them work for it, but I fancy the All Whites to come through without too much drama.
The Pick :
New Zealand 2-0 India
