Chris Wood will miss the upcoming OFC Nations Cup as the tournament dates overlap with his upcoming wedding. 

Wood originally booked his wedding outside of the official FIFA windows, so as not to miss any games, but the OFC Nations Cup was then scheduled in its own international window, similar to the Euros or AFCON, which unfortunately clashed with the date.  

The All Whites captain said:

“Playing for my country is a massive honour and something I have always made a priority during my career.

“When I booked my wedding I made sure to schedule it around the FIFA windows so I wouldn’t have to miss any games but unfortunately the OFC Nations Cup was then scheduled outside of that.

“I would love to be able to do both but unfortunately that isn’t possible so I’m going to have to miss the tournament but be the team’s biggest supporter from afar instead.”

All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley said:

“Chris loves playing for the All Whites and is always keen to be part of every tour.

“He has had another outstanding season in the Premier League so would of course have been a big asset to the side but his absence just means that another player gets the opportunity to lead the line for the team.”

The All Whites will play in the OFC Nations Cup in Vanuatu from 15 June. Their group stage games are:

15 June 2024 KO 1pm NZT [KO 12pm local time]
All Whites vs New Caledonia

18 June 2024 KO 1pm NZT [KO 12pm local time]
All Whites vs Solomon Islands

21 June 2024 KO 4pm NZT [KO 3pm local time]
All Whites vs Vanuatu

All games will take place at VFF Freshwater Stadium in Port Vila, Vanuatu. 

Article added: Thursday 23 May 2024