India vs New Zealand live streaming: Which channels in India will telecast IND vs NZL football match today, time, H2H
Following the two defeats against former World Cup winners Brazil and Uruguay last month in Kolkata, India are set to face another World Cup-playing nation as the Blue Tigers take on New Zealand in the first of the two FIFA Friendlies on Thursday in Auckland. The visit marks the first time the Indian football team have travelled to New Zealand, known as Aotearoa in the traditional Maori language.
While India are placed 138th in the world, New Zealand sit 88th in the latest FIFA Rankings. New Zealand were one of the 48 teams in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. They drew with Iran before losing to Egypt and Belgium. This tour is a part of the ‘100 Years of Unity Through Sport’ celebration of sporting ties between the two countries.
For a change, India have dropped former skipper and veteran goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu following his dismal show against Brazil and Uruguay, while key defender Anwar Ali was ruled out with a hamstring injury. Anwar’s injury (Grade 1 hamstring) is a setback for India as the East Bengal defender could be sidelined for more than a month.
Lalengmawia Ralte (Apuia) and Mohammed Sanan have also been ruled out due to injuries. The omission of Gurpreet comes after his disappointing outing in India’s 0-4 defeat against Brazil and 1-6 loss to Uruguay.
Meanwhile, Bijoy Varghese, Muhammad Suhail and Liston Colaco, who were with Naushad Moosa’s SAFF Championship squad, have left the tournament in Dhaka to join Jamil’s squad for the New Zealand tour.
Indian-origin Sarpreet Singh to miss India games
However, Indian-origin New Zealand midfielder Sarpreet Singh will not be available for the All Whites against India. Sarpreet parents were born in Jalandhar, Punjab before they moved to New Zealand. He played for New Zealand in the 2018 Intercontinental Cup. Sarpreet decided to remain with Portuguese club Farense.
Meanwhile, the New Zealand squad will be headlined by Nottingham Forest forward Chris Wood. He is also New Zealand’s all-time leading scorer with 45 goals in 95 matches. Matt Garbett made a return after missing the FIFA World Cup due to injury. Also earning maiden call-ups were Wellington Phoenix trio of Corban Piper, Matthew Sheridan and Nathan Walker
India vs New Zealand football H2H
India have faced New Zealand only twice in football history. Their first appearance came in 1981 Merdeka Tournament in Malaysia, which ended in a 0-0 draw. The last time New Zealand played India was in 2018 Intercontinental Cup in Mumbai, where the visitors won 2-1.
Where to watch IND vs NZL in India?
Unfortunately, no Indian television channel has bought the media rights for the FIFA friendly between India and New Zealand. Having said that, Indian fans can still watch live streaming of IND vs NZL football match in India on FIFA+ via DAZN.
New Zealand vs India FIFA friendly squads
New Zealand: Lachlan Bayliss, Tyler Bindon, Francis de Vries, Callan Elliot, Matt Garbett, Liam Gillion, Henry Gray, Callum McCowatt, James McGarry, Owen Parker-Price, Alex Paulsen, Nando Pijnaker, Corban Piper, Jesse Randall, Logan Rogerson, Alex Rufer, Matthew Sheridan, Finn Surman, Bill Tuiloma, Nathan Walker, Chris Wood, Michael Woud.
Indian: Hrithik Tiwari, Som Kumar, Vishal Kaith, Abhishek Singh Tekcham, Akash Mishra, Bijoy Varghese, Jay Gupta, Mehtab Singh, Pramveer, Ricky Meetei Haobam, Roshan Singh Naorem, Anirudh Thapa, Ashique Kuruniyan, Jithin MS, Lalremtluanga Fanai, Lalrinliana Hnamte, Tomba Singh Haobam, David Lalhlansanga, Edmund Lalrindika, Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh, Muhammad Suhail, Ryan Williams.
