New Zealand have named a 14-member squad for their first-ever appearance at the FIFA Futsal World Cup next month.
New Zealand are set to participate in the 10th FIFA Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan, starting September 14, along with 23 other nations aiming to become the World Champions.
The Futsal Whites have named their squad for the mega event. The squad includes 10 domestically based players and four players who play in Australia, Spain, and England.
Jordi Ditfort, Dylan Manickum, and Hamish Grey will be their key players in the Futsal World Cup. The squad includes two goalkeepers Patrick Steele and Mike Antamanov. The Youngsters Rahan Ali and Adam Paulsen add some flair to the lineup. Vaughan Somerville, Thomas Picken, and Denny Twigg will be the traveling reserves. Here’s the complete New Zealand Squad for Futsal World Cup 2024.
Futsal will get a significant boost in popularity in Aotearoa after their first-ever qualification for the FIFA Futsal World Cup. The success came after eight unsuccessful qualification campaigns previously where they fell just short on many occasions.
According to Futsal Whites’ head coach Marvin Eakins, “Taking a team to the FIFA Futsal World Cup is a massive achievement and the result of years of hard work by the futsal community across the country.
“This squad represents a great blend of youth and experience, from players who have proudly represented Aotearoa New Zealand in previous campaigns, to newer players for whom this has been their first international activity.
“Futsal’s growth is only going in one direction, and it is a privilege to lead this team to the World Cup for the first time.”
New Zealand are placed in Group D of the Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan and will face Spain, Kazakhstan, and Libya in the group stage.
The Futsal Whites will play a warm-up tournament in Thailand ahead of the World Cup and will be in action against Afghanistan, Kuwait, Guatemala, and Thailand. The tournament will be played between August 31 and September 6.
Recently, Futsal Ferns also qualified for their first-ever FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup, thrashing Fiji 7-1 in the Final of the OFC Futsal Women’s Nations Cup. The tournament will be played in the Philippines in 2025.