Indian football team touring New Zealand for a two-match friendly series

The Indian men’s football team will travel to New Zealand for a historic two-match friendly series in November 2026, with the match part of the celebration of 100 years of sporting ties between the two nations.

The matches, announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to New Zealand, will be played during FIFA’s November international window. India will face the FIFA World Cup All Whites at the Go Media Stadium in Auckland on November 12 before traveling to Christchurch on November 15 for the second match at the newly built One New Zealand Stadium.

The match in Christchurch will be the first football match officially confirmed at the new venue, adding further significance to the tour.

For India, the series offers another opportunity to test themselves against World Cup opposition as the team continues to prepare for the upcoming international assignments. For New Zealand, the matches will mark the All Whites’ return to home soil following their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign.

The opening match will be played at Go Media Stadium, home of A-League Men champions Auckland FC, while the second match will showcase international football at Christchurch’s state-of-the-art stadium.

India and New Zealand have only met twice in men’s international football. Their first meeting ended in a goalless draw in 1981 before the All Whites secured a 2-1 victory when the sides met again in 2018.

New Zealand Football chief executive Andrew Pragnell said bringing the national team back to Christchurch had been a priority since plans for the new stadium were finalised.

“We’ve long maintained that once the stadium opened, the absolute priority was to bring the All Whites back to Christchurch,” Pragnell said.

“One stadium in New Zealand is an incredible facility so it will be amazing to see it packed with thousands of Cantabrians supporting the team.”

All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley said the fixture would allow his side to reconnect with fans after the World Cup, while also providing another valuable international challenge.

“It was great to see the fans supporting us in North America at the FIFA World Cup and it meant a huge amount to the team,” Bazeley said.

“It’s great to bring the players home for two big games in front of the Kiwi crowds.”

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Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

11 Jul 2026 14:37 IST