By Jacob Flanagan
While Poland and Norway will be far away for most All Whites fans, some are looking forward to seeing their football heroes in the flesh.
The news that New Zealand’s national team would play October internationals in Chorzów and Oslo has mobilised Kiwis abroad, providing them with the chance to show their support.
“The minute that they announced that we’d be playing Norway, I was like, ‘Oh my goodness’,” Aucklander Shannon Sampson says.
She and her family moved to the United Kingdom in June and plan to make the trip to Oslo for the Norway game.
Watching the Soccer Ashes matches against Australia on television was a highlight for her and her two young sons, but the chance to see the All Whites in person will be even better.
“Seeing the likes of Chris Wood, an icon, up close? Being able to just witness him will be awesome,” she says.
Main photo: All Whites captain Chris Wood meets fans and supporters. Photo: Phototek.
Liam Dooley, originally from Whakatāne, will soon be based in Ireland and he was so keen to attend both matches, he delayed his move from New Zealand.
“Because the Poland game was not yet confirmed, and I was like, ‘I want to do both. I’d love to go both.’ I just held off booking everything because I want to do the Poland game, so I’ll do the double whammy,” he says.
“I’ve always wanted to come over for something like that. I really want to go to more All White games, and we’re playing some really good teams with some top-notch names.
“Of course, something that caught my eye straight away with Norway was ‘Wood versus [Erling] Haaland’. I’d really love to meet Chris Wood.”
Fans show their passion for the All Whites. Photo credit: FIFA.com.
Shannon Sampson and Liam Dooley look forward to experiencing travelling fan culture as much as for the matches themselves.
“Knowing that we’re going with a whole lot of like-minded people, I think it’s really exciting, regardless of the result of the game,” says Shannon.
Liam Dooley anticipates a “great whole week of football.”
“There are lots of Kiwis coming, it’ll be a fun week and hopefully we can get some positive results.”
Both say local clubs and local football played a part in building their love for the All Whites.
“Wellington Phoenix has been a good breeding ground for our All Whites. Look at the talent coming through. I just love that it’s a good Kiwi club that’s grown from roots. None of this massive money you see in other places. And that really got me into following the All Whites,” Dooley says.
Shannon Sampson sees the influence of both the A-League and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in New Zealand as crucial to building the future of football.
“It’s exciting to see player pathways growing with the likes of the Wellington Phoenix and Auckland FC, and it’s exciting to feel like there will be more opportunities for the younger players coming through.
“Our local football club was the training facility for the Vietnam team [during the World Cup], so that was great for our club. It got a lot of hype going. It was amazing for the investment into our club. We got some great infrastructure out of it and to see women on the field as well was really cool.”
So what can Sampson, Dooley and other ex-pat Kiwis expect when they head to Poland and Norway?
The late 2010s and early 2020s were rough for fans of the New Zealand national teams.
The All Whites went almost five years without playing in New Zealand.
From 2013, other than against struggling Oceania members, the men registered only six wins in a decade. Meanwhile, the Football Ferns scored only one goal in each of the 2019 and 2023 Women’s World Cups, and between the two tournaments won only five games.
But recent years have produced greater success.
Over the past year, the All Whites went eight games in a row undefeated, during which they qualified for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, conceding only two goals, and culminating in a stubborn 1-0 win over 41st-ranked Ivory Coast.
The Football Ferns have impressed with recent victories over Costa Rica and Venezuela, as well as a 4-0 drubbing of Thailand.
New Zealand Football are building on this momentum; October will see the Football Ferns play Mexico and world number 2-ranked United States, while the All Whites play friendlies against both Poland and Norway.
Wherever the national teams play, there’ll be itinerant Kiwis ready to cheer them on.
For those All Whites fans unable to travel to North America or Europe, all games will be available live and free on FIFA+ and TVNZ in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
READ MORE: Big names included in Polish squad to play All Whites in friendly international >>>>
READ MORE: Injury forces Arsenal skipper to withdraw from Norway squad to face All Whites >>>>
Jacob Flanagan
All Whites supporter Jacob Flanagan is from Wellington but currently living in the United Kingdom.
Fixtures
Game to be played on Friday October 10, 2025 (NZT)
Poland v New Zealand
Stadion Śląski, Chorzów, Poland, 7.45am (NZT)
Game to be played on Wednesday October 15, 2025 (NZT)
Norway v New Zealand
Ullevaal Stadium, Oslo, Norway, 5am (NZT)
New Zealand
Player/caps/goals, club
Goalkeepers
Max Crocombe (19/0) Millwall, England
Alex Paulsen (3/0) Lechia Gdańsk, Poland (on loan from Bournemouth, England)
Nik Tzanev (2/0) Newport County, Wales
Defenders
Tyler Bindon (19/3) Sheffield United, England (on loan from Nottingham Forest, England)
Michael Boxall (58/1) Minnesota United, United States
Francis de Vries (13/1) Auckland FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Lukas Kelly-Heald (3/0) Wellington Phoenix, Aotearoa New Zealand
Tim Payne (45/3) Wellington Phoenix, Aotearoa New Zealand
Tommy Smith (56/2) Braintree Town, England
George Stanger (debut) Kilmarnock, Scotland
Finn Surman (11/1) Portland Timbers, United States
Midfielders
Joe Bell (28/1) Viking FK, Norway
Andre de Jong (10/2) Stellenbosch, South Africa
Matt Garbett (32/5) Peterborough United, England
Callum McCowatt (26/4) Silkeborg IF, Denmark
Ben Old (16/1) AS Saint-Étienne, France
Owen Parker-Price (debut) Örgryte, Sweden
Sarpreet Singh (22/3) FK TSC Bačka Topola, Serbia
Marko Stamenić (31/3) Swansea City, Wales
Ryan Thomas (21/3) PEC Zwolle, Netherlands
Bill Tuiloma (43/4) Charlotte FC, United States
Forwards
Ben Waine (24/8) Port Vale, England
Chris Wood (86/45) Nottingham Forest, England
Withdrawals
Eli Just (38/8) Motherwell, Scotland — injury
Dalton Wilkins (3/0) Kolding IF, Denmark (on loan from Sønderjyske, Denmark) — injury
This story was first published on October 8, 2025.