Bill Tuiloma earns All Whites recall after Nando Pijnaker injury

Bill Tuiloma is back with the New Zealand national team, with the experienced defender added to the All Whites squad for the upcoming international window following an injury to Nando Pijnaker.

The 31-year-old Wellington Phoenix centre-back had initially been left out of Darren Bazeley’s first squad since the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but Pijnaker’s withdrawal has opened the door for Tuiloma to return to the international setup.

Tuiloma brings considerable experience to a New Zealand squad that is beginning a new cycle after the World Cup. The defender has accumulated 47 senior international appearances and four goals since making his All Whites debut as an 18-year-old in 2013.

His recall is particularly notable after Tuiloma missed out on selection for New Zealand’s World Cup squad earlier this year. He had remained involved during the build-up to the tournament, including the March international window, but was ultimately not among the players taken to the competition.

Now back in the picture, Tuiloma will have four matches in Asia to potentially strengthen his position within Bazeley’s plans.

The All Whites begin their programme against Palestine in Chongqing on September 24 before facing China PR at the same city four days later. New Zealand then travel to Japan for the 2026 Kirin Cup, where they will meet Panama in Yokohama on October 1 before facing either hosts Japan or Ecuador in the final or third-place play-off on October 5.

Tuiloma will also find familiar faces from Wellington Phoenix in the squad. Midfielder Alex Rufer and goalkeeper Henry Gray, who is seeking his senior international debut, have both been selected for the tour.

The defender returned to New Zealand club football earlier this year when he joined Wellington Phoenix on a two-and-a-half-year deal after more than a decade playing overseas.

Tuiloma left New Zealand as a teenager to join French giants Marseille in 2013 and later became the first New Zealander to appear in Ligue 1. His career subsequently included Strasbourg before a lengthy spell in Major League Soccer with Portland Timbers and Charlotte FC.

His international career has followed a similarly long path. Tuiloma represented New Zealand at youth level, captained the country at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup and has since become one of the most experienced defenders available to the senior side.

The emergence of Tyler Bindon and Finn Surman has changed the competition at centre-back in recent years, while New Zealand have also begun introducing younger defensive options into the senior environment. Tuiloma’s return therefore gives him another opportunity to show that he can still have a role as the All Whites move into their post-World Cup cycle.

For now, his route back into the national team has come through Pijnaker’s unfortunate injury. What Tuiloma does with that opportunity could determine whether the recall becomes more than a temporary return.