Rival captains Chris Wood and Milos Degenek have made it clear there’s plenty at stake when the All Whites and Socceroos meet in their two-match Soccer Ashes series.
As well as bragging rights between the trans-Tasman rivals, results of the games in Canberra and Auckland will influence both teams’ positions in the next FIFA men’s world rankings, and they’ll decide which pots they’ll go into for the FIFA Men’s World Cup draw to be held on December 6 (NZT).
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New Zealand and Australia are among the first 13 nations to qualify for the 48-team tournament.
Players are also mindful of how their performances will impact their chances of selection for next year’s World Cup.
“For us, there’s no friendly games,” Australia captain Degenek said in a dual interview with Wood.
“Every game is a chance for us to improve and get better.”
Acknowledging the competition between the two countries, Wood said what happened on the pitch, stayed on the pitch.
“Off the pitch, it’s a different story. It’s a battle when you go on out there; it is what it is … it’s football at the end of the day.
“We’re both competitive; we both want to win.”
Main photo: Chris Wood (left) and Milos Degenek in Canberra.
Watch Chris Wood and Milos Degenek interview
How the squads compare
New Zealand
Kosta Barbarouses (69 caps/9 goals) Western Sydney Wanderers, Australia
Joe Bell (26/1) Viking FK, Norway
Tyler Bindon (17/3) Sheffield United, England (on loan from Nottingham Forest)
Michael Boxall (57/1) Minnesota United, United States
Luke Brooke-Smith (0/0) Wellington Phoenix, Aotearoa New Zealand
Liberato Cacace (35/1) Wrexham AFC, Wales
Max Crocombe (17/0) Millwall, England
Francis de Vries (11/1) Auckland FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Callan Elliot (5/0) Auckland FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Henry Gray (0/0), Ipswich Town, England
Elijah Just (36/8) Motherwell, Scotland
Callum McCowatt (24/4) Silkeborg IF, Denmark
James McGarry (1/0) Brisbane Roar, Australia
Ben Old (14/1) AS Saint Etienne, France
Tim Payne (43/3) Wellington Phoenix, Aotearoa New Zealand
Jesse Randall (4/1) Auckland FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Logan Rogerson (15/2) Auckland FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Alex Rufer (21/0) Wellington Phoenix, Aotearoa New Zealand
Oli Sail (9/0) Auckland FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Sarpreet Singh (20/3) FK TSC Bačka Topola, Serbia
Marko Stamenić (31/3) Swansea City, Wales
Finn Surman (9/1) Portland Timbers, United States
Ryan Thomas (19/3) PEC Zwolle, Netherlands
Chris Wood (84/44) Nottingham Forest, England
Withdrawn
Liberato Cacace (35/1) Wrexham, Wales
Alex Paulsen (3/0) Lechia Gdańsk, Poland (on loan from Bournemouth, England)
Australia
Max Balard (0 caps/0 goals) NAC Breda, Netherlands
Jordan Bos (19/1) Feyenoord, Netherlands
Noah Botic (0/0) Austria Vienna, Austria
Martin Boyle (34/10) Hibernian FC, Scotland
Cameron Burgess (17/0) Swansea, Wales
Alessandro Circati (5/0) Parma, Italy
Milos Degenek (49/1) FK TSC, Serbia
Joe Gauci (7/0) Port Vale, England
Tom Glover (0/0) Middlesbrough, England
Ajdin Hrustic (31/3) Heracles Almelo, Netherlands
Nestory Irankunda (5/1) Watford, England
Paul Izzo (0/0) Randers FC, Denmark
Anthony Kalik (0/0) Hajduk Split, Croatia
Fran Karacic (15/1) Hajduk Split, Croatia
Hayden Matthews (1/0) Portsmouth, England
Connor Metcalfe (26/1) St Pauli, Germany
Nicolas Milanovic (0/0) Aberdeen, Scotland
Lewis Miller (13/1) Blackburn Rovers, England
Aiden O’Neill (21/0) New York City FC, United States
Kye Rowles (25/1) DC United, United States
Adrian Segecic (0/0) Portsmouth, England
Samuel Silvera (7/0) Middlesbrough, England
Ryan Teague (3/0) K.V. Mechelen, Belgium
Mohamed Toure (2/0) Randers FC, Denmark
Patrick Yazbek (2/0) Nashville SC, United States
About the Soccer Ashes
The trophy was created in 1923, containing ashes of cigars smoked by Australian captain Alex Gibb and New Zealand captain George Campbell following the first meeting between the two nations in Australia in June 1923.
The trophy went missing in 1954 but was rediscovered during the COVID pandemic and returned to Football Australia.
READ MORE: Long-lost ANZAC Soccer Ashes trophy found in family garage clean-out >>>>
Main photo credit: Glenn Carstens-Peters / unsplash.
Fixtures
Game to be played on Friday September 5, 2025
Australia v New Zealand
GIO Stadium, Canberra, 9.45pm (NZT)
Game to be played on Tuesday September 9, 2025
New Zealand v Australia
Go Media Stadium, Mt Smart, Auckland, 7pm (NZT)
Ticket prices (Auckland match)
Tickets will be sold at ticketek.co.nz.
Before match day:
- Adults: $20, $40, or $80 (plus ticketing fees)
- 14 and under: $10, $20, or $40 (plus ticketing fees)
Match day prices:
- Adults: $25, $45, or $85 (plus ticketing fees)
- 14 and under: $15, $25, or $45 (plus ticketing fees)
Active Supporters Zone (South Stand – same location as The Port for Auckland FC):
- Pre-sale: $20 adults / $10 (14 and under)
- Match day: $25 adults / $15 (14 and under) (All prices exclude ticketing fees)
This story was first published on September 4, 2025.
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