New Zealand midfielder Sarpreet Singh became the latest player of Indian origin to play at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
On Monday, Sarpreet played 92 minutes in New Zealand's FIFA World Cup Group G match against Iran before being substituted out.
Who is Sarpreet Singh?
Sarpreet Singh was born on 20 February, 1999 and raised in Auckland to parents who are originally from Jalandhar. His parents ran a grocery store in Auckland. Sarpreet was interested in playing football from a very young age.
At the age of seven, he joined Wynrs Wynton Rufer Soccer Academy in Auckland, before switching to the Wellington Phoenix Academy in 2015. Sarpreet played for the New Zealand youth sides at the U-17 Oceania Cup and the U-20 World Cups.
His performance in the 2019 U-20 World Cup, wherein he scored one goal in four matches, caught the eyes of European giants Bayern Munich. In 2020, Sarpreet had signed a season-long loan deal with FC Nurnberg.
In 2022, just as Sarpreet was about to sign with Werder Bremen, who were newly promoted to the Bundesliga, he was sidelined with an osteitis pubis injury. He made his competitive return in January 2023 with another German club, SSV Jahn Regensburg.
He was on loan from Bayern Munich at the time. He has also played for Portuguese club União de Leiria and Serbian club FK TSC, where he joined in 2025. He currently plays for Wellington Phoenix in the A-League.
In February this year, the 27-year-old suffered yet another injury setback. He sustained a medial collateral ligament (MCL) to his left knee during a match against Western Sydney Wanderers.
He was sidelined for eight weeks and eventually missed multiple club matches and the March international friendlies. He made his competitive return in April, during Wellington’s final A-League regular season match against Macarthur FC. He played the final 20 minutes of the game.
Sarpreet credits his mother, Sarabjit, for helping him realise his dream of playing football. “Since I was a young kid, she put in a lot of effort for me - taking me to training sessions, academies and individual coaching,” he told Bharat Army in a podcast. “I’m very grateful for that,” he added.
Sarpreet Singh did play against India in the 2018 Intercontinental Cup that took place in Mumbai. He assisted on both occasions as New Zealand beat India 2-1.
He called playing against India in India a “strange” experience. “That was a crazy experience. It’s a little bit strange being a Singh and playing for New Zealand in India against India," he said.
