From English nonleague to the World Cup, Tommy Smith’s unlikely New Zealand return

Tommy Smith, a defender for New Zealand, is set to go to the 2026 World Cup after spending much of the season in England’s fifth and sixth tiers. New Zealand, known as the All Whites, will play in the World Cup for only the third time in its history, after a 16-year absence.

Smith was born in 1990 in Macclesfield and began his senior career in 2007 with Ipswich Town. He made 247 appearances for Ipswich before moving through lower-league English clubs and then returning to Australia. Last summer he signed for Braintree, who were in the National League, and this season he was part of a side that finished 23rd of 24 and dropped into the National League South, a semi-professional or amateur division. Smith was also injured for a significant part of the campaign and made only 17 appearances.

Despite that, coach Darren Bazeley called up the veteran centre-back, and Smith will share a notable milestone with Chris Wood. If both appear at this World Cup, they will become the only Oceania players to feature in two different World Cups. Smith was already part of New Zealand’s 2010 squad, when the team finished the tournament unbeaten, the only side to do so, and he did not miss a single minute. New Zealand finished third in that group after three draws, ahead of then world champions Italy.

Smith said before the tournament that the team’s aim is to reach the knockout stage. “In 2010 we finished third in the group,” he said. “This time, some third-place teams will also advance, so we have a chance if we get one positive result. Our goal from the start is to get out of the group and reach the knockout stage.” He added that he is not yet sure whether the tournament will be his last, saying, “We’ll see what happens after the World Cup.” New Zealand are due to face Iran, Egypt and Belgium in the group stage, and if Smith makes three appearances there, he will move into New Zealand’s top 10 all-time caps list; he had 56 international appearances before the tournament.