Darren Bazeley will coach New Zealand by way of to the 2026 World Cup after guiding the crew since March on an interim foundation, New Zealand Football (NZF) mentioned on Tuesday. Bazeley was additionally confirmed as New Zealand’s under-23 coach and can look to steer the squad by way of qualification for subsequent 12 months’s Paris Olympics.

Bazeley’s appointment comes after NZF missed out on their most popular candidate, John Herdman, who re-committed to teaching Canada in February, New Zealand media reported. “This has been an in-depth recruitment process and I’m confident we have the right person to lead the team for the new FIFA World Cup cycle,” NZF boss Andrew Pragnell mentioned in a press release. “While the appointment process took longer than initially expected, it allowed us to test Darren in the role, and he proved to all of us he was the right candidate for the job.”

Bazeley was appointed interim head coach after Danny Hay’s left following New Zealand’s failure to qualify for final 12 months’s World Cup in Qatar. He has overseen a win and draw towards China and defeat towards Sweden.

The All Whites’ current pleasant towards Qatar was deserted halfway by way of when Bazeley’s gamers declined to take the sector after halftime in protest of alleged on-field racism. Bazeley’s subsequent task shall be Olympic qualifiers in August, adopted by All Whites fixtures within the October and November FIFA home windows.

With the Oceania area assured a slot on the expanded, 48-team World Cup in North America in 2026, New Zealand is prone to qualify for his or her first World Cup since 2010. “I have known and coached many of the players in this group for a long time so it will be a real privilege to continue on the journey with them to develop football in New Zealand and leave a legacy for the next generation,” Bazeley mentioned.

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