NEW DELHI: New Zealand midfielder Sarpreet Singh created history by becoming the first player of Indian origin to start a FIFA World Cup 2026 match. Coach Darren Bazeley kept faith in him until he was substituted in the 90th minute. New Zealand will next face Egypt on June 21 in Vancouver.
Who is Sarpreet Singh?
The 27-year-old, born in Auckland to Punjabi parents, was included in the starting XI for New Zealand’s Group G clash against Iran in Los Angeles. Wearing the No. 10 jersey, he played almost the entire game and had three attempts on goal as the match ended in a 2-2 draw.Sarpreet had earlier played in India during the 2018 Intercontinental Cup in Mumbai, where he featured against Sunil Chhetri and even scored against Kenya. He also provided two assists in New Zealand’s win over India, although the hosts went on to win the title.In 2019, Sarpreet became the first player of Indian descent to appear in Germany’s top division when he made his debut for Bayern Munich.Strong performances with the reserve side helped him earn a first-team opportunity under Hansi Flick, and he later became part of Bayern’s Bundesliga-winning squad. After spells in Portugal and Serbia, he returned to New Zealand this year and recovered from an injury to secure a place in the country’s 26-member World Cup squad.Two days before Sarpreet’s milestone, Australia’s Nishan Velupillay also made his World Cup debut after coming off the bench against Turkiye.
More Indian-origin players in focus
Three other players of Indian heritage are part of World Cup squads this year, Nishan Velupillay of Australia, Samuel Moutoussamy of DR Congo and Tahsin Mohammed Jamshid of Qatar. Nishan Velupillay came on as a substitute in Australia’s historic 2-1 win over Turkey. Tahsin was unused in Qatar’s 1-1 draw against Switzerland, while Moutoussamy could feature against Portugal.Under FIFA rules, a player can represent a country if a parent or grandparent was born there and the player holds that nation’s passport.