FIFA World Cup 2026: The New Zealand team has suffered a big setback in the FIFA World Cup 2026. The team’s midfielder Matt Garbett has been ruled out of the entire tournament due to a hamstring injury. The New Zealand Football Federation confirmed this on Tuesday. The 24-year-old Garbett suffered the injury during a practice session this week. This injury has come at a time when New Zealand has started playing its first match against Iran at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
New Zealand team ‘All Whites’ issued a statement saying, “Matt Garbett has been ruled out of the FIFA World Cup 2026 due to a hamstring injury. The entire team stands with him at this difficult time. We are sad that he will not be able to take part in the tournament. We hope that he will return to the field soon.”
Garbett has played 38 international matches for New Zealand so far and has scored five goals. Logan Rogerson has been included in the 26-man squad in his place. Garbett was injured during the team’s practice session in San Diego on Saturday local time. After this, he did not practice on Sunday and left for Los Angeles with the team.
Head coach Darren Beasley also hinted at the pre-match press conference on Monday that there were concerns about Garbett’s fitness. He said, “Matt has a hamstring problem. Our medical team is constantly monitoring him. He is disappointed not to be able to practice today, as he likes to train every day. At the moment we are waiting for the doctors’ advice on his condition.”
New Zealand is participating in the FIFA World Cup for the third time. Earlier the team had played the World Cup in 1982 and 2010. Its performance in Spain in 1982 was not special, whereas in South Africa in 2010, the team showed better performance. New Zealand has made a place for the 2026 tournament through the first direct World Cup ticket received by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). Now the team will try to make an impact in this World Cup to be held in North America, although Garbett’s injury has proved to be a big blow for them.
