Orlando Pirates attacker Andre de Jong has been omitted from the New Zealand squad for the highly anticipated 2026 FIFA World Cup.
New Zealand announced the final squad for the World Cup on Wednesday and snubbed the South African-based forward despite forming part of the team in the previous FIFA international break.
The talented attacker made a big transfer move from Betway Premiership side Stellenbosch FC to Pirates in the January 2026 transfer window, aiming to increase his chances of securing a spot at the global showpiece.
But De Jong’s tenure with Pirates thus far has not unfolded as anticipated, primarily due to his struggle for consistent game-time under the management of head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou. The former AmaZulu FC forward has predominantly been utilised as a second-half impact player, while the Sea Robbers remain in pursuit of the league title, desperate to terminate a decade-long championship drought in the Premiership.
De Jong has made 11 appearances across all competitive platforms but has managed just a solitary goal from the penalty spot, a strike that came during the Nedbank Cup Round of 32 clash against Tshakuma Tsha Madzivhandila FC.
ANDRE DE JONG MISSES OUT ON NEW ZEALAND WORLD CUP SQUAD
With the 29-year-old seemingly struggling to find his best form at Pirates, he has been excluded from the New Zealand team that will face Belgium, Iran, and Egypt in Group G of the World Cup.
After joining Pirates, De Jong publicly admitted that the move to the Soweto giants was to boost his chances of securing a spot in the New Zealand team that will participate at the global showpiece.
Meanwhile, New Zealand named a familiar face in the final squad, Michael Boxall, who used to ply his trade in the PSL with the now-defunct SuperSport United between 2015 and 2017.
The All Whites open their tournament in the United States against Iran at the Los Angeles Stadium on 15 June. They then move to Canada for their final two fixtures at Vancouver’s BC Place, facing Egypt on 21 June before a massive clash against Belgium on 26 June.
BAZELEY BACKS WORLD CUP SQUAD AS DE JONG MISSES OUT ON NORTH AMERICA TRIP
Despite the notable absence of De Jong, head coach Darren Bazeley expressed full confidence in his World Cup squad. Bazeley noted that following the announcement, the selected group has the quality required to impress on the global stage in North America.
“We spent the last three years monitoring and tracking 50 players around the world and then arrived at the final process of selecting this squad, which is such a big moment,” he said. “We left no stone unturned to make the right decisions to get the right balance for the squad, so there’s been a lot of nice conversations in recent days, but also some challenging ones with players that missed out.
“It’s a really strong squad: talented, exciting, experienced and ready to go make New Zealand proud and create history for us at the World Cup.”
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