Orlando Pirates midfielder Andre de Jong has been named in the New Zealand final 23-man squad to take on Finland and Chile in international friendly matches later this March.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup-bound All Whites first host Finland at Eden Park on March 27, before returning to the same venue to face the South Americans three days later. They are preparing for the quadrennial global football tournament, where they are in Group G.
It is a pool in which they have been drawn together with Iran, record African champions Egypt and Belgium. The upcoming camp will see players trying to cement their places in the national team ahead of the World Cup.
De Jong has made it into coach Darren Bazeley’s side, a promising call-up for him, making it to North America. This is despite the 29-year-old playmaker not being a regular for Pirates since his move to the Buccaneers from Stellenbosch FC in January.
Just six appearances and a goal, with no assists, were enough for De Jong to make his way into the national team. That goal for Pirates was a penalty conversion in the Nedbank Cup Round of 32 clash with Tshakhuma Tsha Mdzivhandila FC [TTM].
However, the former AmaZulu FC player stated that his move to Pirates was inspired by his plan to boost his chances of going to the World Cup. De Jong has been capped 11 times by New Zealand and has scored two international goals.
Former SuperSport United defender Michael Boxall, now with Major League Soccer [MLS] outfit Minnesota United, has been excluded from the squad for the upcoming matches due to injury.
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“These are two really important games for us as we continue building towards the FIFA World Cup 2026, so it is great to name our squad to play in front of our home fans for the last time before the tournament,” said Bazeley.
“We know the deadline for naming our FIFA World Cup squad is getting closer and closer, so we are pleased to be able to give opportunities to a number of players to state their case, especially with a few regulars unavailable for this window.
“Finland and Chile should be great tests for us, and we look forward to taking them on in front of all of our home fans at Eden Park.”
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