Ranking The All Whites Goalkeeper Stocks in 2026
If there’s one thing that this country never seems to lack, it’s goalkeepers. There’s been a goalkeeping debate every time that the All Whites have made it to the FIFA World Cup, from Richard Wilson and Frank van Hattum in 1982 to Glen Moss and Mark Paston in 2010 to Max Crocombe and Alex Paulsen in 2026. Never lacking for glovemen... and with a direct line through the international careers of Jenny Bindon, Erin Nayler, Victoria Esson, and Anna Leat it’s not been a position of scarcity for the Football Ferns either (although the depth beyond Esson and Leat is a bit cloudy at the moment – there’s a Footy Ferns squad yarn next door for more on all that).
With all due respect to our history, the stocks that Darren Bazeley has to choose from for the upcoming World Cup go deeper than we’ve ever seen. No kiwi keepers have ever reached the club levels that Crocombe and Paulsen are at and behind them we’ve got at least two youngsters with the potential to match them and a steady collection of A-League pros filling out the stables. The fun part is sitting back and appreciating it all. The tricky part is trying to contextualise this plethora of pros based all over the globe. Fortunately, you don’t have to do that because I’ve already done it.
1) Max Crocombe (Millwall – English Championship)
It’s 1A and 1B at the top and you know who the other bloke is. But right now it’s an ever-so-slight advantage to Crocombe who continues to deliver reliable performances for a Millwall team that’s right up there in the playoff spots at the midway stage of the Championship season. Yes, his kicking is erratic. But at least he doesn’t mess around with it, aware of where his strength lies, and he also has an enormous boot at his disposal. Very experienced and very assured at this stage of his career. Could be a little more effective against aerials but he’s fantastic as a shot-stopper and has taken the art of time-wasting into realms never previously imagined. There isn’t a goalie on the planet you’d rather have faking a cramp with a 1-0 lead heading into stoppage time.
Again, there’s almost nothing between Crocombe and Paulsen, who are the only two goalies to appear for the All Whites since the start of 2024. It seemed like AP had snuck ahead when he played both games against Norway and Poland in October ‘25 but then he got injured and Crocombe was very solid against Colombia and Ecuador. No wrong answers here. And the thing about Crocombe is that he loves a challenge. This dude has battled his way up from the non-leagues to be keeping clean sheets in the English Championship. His last three club seasons in a row he’s begun as second fiddle and then quickly won the starting gig. He might have to do it twice this season with Millwall after they replaced one Premier League loanee with another in the January window. But that’s what Max Crocombe does.
2) Alex Paulsen (Lechia Gdańsk – Polish Ekstraklasa)
The last 23 All Whites games have only seen either Crocombe or Paulsen wear the gloves so there’s absolutely no doubt about the top two, just a matter of form and preference. Paulsen was the best goalkeeper in the A-League with two different clubs (and contrasting styles) and now he’s settling confidently on loan in Poland. Brilliant with his feet and phenomenal with his saves. The only real downside to his game is that he’s not got the size that you tend to see from Premier League goalkeepers... but there’s enough about him that hopefully he’ll still get that chance someday. He’s already spent one preseason with AFC Bournemouth, featuring in some friendly games, before getting his Polish gig.
AP has been a clean sheet merchant throughout his career, yet that trait hasn’t followed him to the Ekstraklasa. He’s done good there, helping turn the fortunes of a club that was deep in the relegation murk when he arrived and is now pushing for the top half of the ladder. But he hasn’t been amazing. Paulsen’s only kept one clean sheet in ten matches and is a little behind on some of his advanced stats. Conceding a few too many goals with a couple of errors in amongst. Nothing to worry about, he’s simply finding his groove within a challenging environment... but just enough fallibility for Crocombe to have nudged ahead of him. For now.
3) Kees Sims (GAIS – Swedish Allsvenskan)
Can’t claim to be the keeper at the highest level now that Max Crocombe and Alex Paulsen have shuffled upwards but he can claim to be the incumbent number three after being called up in the wake of some winning form towards the end of the last Swedish season. Usually the backup at GAIS, Sims got six games after the main man was injured and helped carry his team into European qualification. Still only 22yo and with a perfect frame for a GK (1.94m tall with a strong build), he makes crazy saves and has a very accurate long boot. In terms of potential, he’s right up there on par with the blokes immediately ahead and behind him on this list. How about that for a golden generation of goalkeeping? We’ve got three enormous talents right now, all aged between 20-23.
Kees Sims is an Ole Academy graduate who has played National League for Western Suburbs (and a little bit with the Phoenix Reserves when they combined with Ole for that one season, though he was never in the Nix Academy). Then he moved to Sweden where he was the full-time starter for Ljungskile in the Swedish third tier while still a teenager. That got him on all sorts of scouting lists, leading to trials with the likes of Lilleström SK (Norway), Leicester City, Nottingham Forest, and Coventry City (England), Hobro and Örgryte (Sweden), before signing with GAIS in the Swedish top division. And while, yeah, he has been the back-up throughout his two seasons... he’s still managed 16 Allsvenskan appearances in that time. Quite honestly, his call-up in the last window was long overdue.
4) Henry Gray (Harrogate Town - English League Two)
20 years old and recently made his EFL debut on loan at Harrogate Town. This is the third full year that Gray has been with Ipswich Town and each time he’s followed the same course. First half of the season he spends with his parent club, hovering around the edges of the first team (getting as high as third-choice keeper which had him involved on matchdays albeit not in the playing squad – including during the season that Ipswich was in the Premier League) and then second half he goes out on loan for experience, moving up a division each time. He excelled at Chelmsford City in the sixth tier. Then he excelled at Braintree Town in the fifth tier. And based on his first few games at Harrogate Town it looks like he’ll go alright in the fourth tier too (League Two).
Gray was the starter at the U20 World Cup last year (just as Sims was in 2023 and Paulsen was at the 2024 Olympics). He’s another tall, composed keeper who can pull off some crazy reaction saves and commands his area well. Spent some time with the Wellington Phoenix Academy back in the day and also played Central League for Waterside Karori before joining Ipswich Town as soon as he turned 18, earning a contract extension after his first year (his current deal runs until the end of the 2026-27 season). Even without his performances for the U20s, even without what he’s achieved during his loan outs, the esteem in which Ipswich Town hold him would warrant plenty of hype. Add in those other elements and he’s in some special territory. Gray has already been in and around the All Whites a wee bit as a replacement player and now that he’s playing EFL footy he’s surely launched himself up Darren Bazeley’s list.
5) Nik Tzanev (Huddersfield Town - English League One)
For a while there, Tanz had the inside lane on the GK3 spot for the All Whites... but he hasn’t been able to kick on. Whereas Max Crocombe got to League One and was awesome, earning a move up to the Championship, Tzanev has never made it stick at that level. He moved back down to L2 with Newport County this season where he had a bright start to the campaign but couldn’t sustain it and later got dropped, leaving him stuck on the bench for the bottom team in the fourth division (although they did climb above Henry Gray’s Harrogate last weekend). That was no fun for anyone so he asked for a transfer and he got one at the end of the January window, jumping back up to League One with playoff-chasing Huddersfield Town where he’ll probably go from second string to third string. Up one division, down one in the pecking order. Probably a fair trade for a four-month contract.
Tzanev is good with his feet but can be a little brittle, though he works hard at his game and it’s something to respect when a keeper is able to continually find employment at a decent level. But Gray has overtaken him now and there are other guys of similar ability who are playing a lot more. At 29yo he’s got a way to go in his career but dunno how much international football that’ll entail. However he’s a good solid pro if his services are required. Should Darren Bazeley decide to use his GK3 spot at the World Cup on a veteran leader rather than the comparatively inexperienced Sims or Gray (hypothetically, since there’s no need to do that in a squad chock-a-block with leadership credentials) then Tanz ought to get first dibs – he’ll be getting plenty of practice doing exactly that at Huddersfield between now and then.
6) Michael Woud (Auckland FC – Australian A-League)
It’s only here that we get down to the A-League comrades. Woud was a highly regarded prospect on the way up the youth ranks but has spent a large chunk of his senior career stuck on the bench. That senior career has taken him places though. He was in the Sunderland Academy once upon a time before a stint in the Dutch Eredivisie alongside Jimmy McGarry at Willem II. Woud played a few times there but only became a proper started when he dropped down a division to join Almere City. Spells at Kyoto Sanga and Ventforet Kofu in Japan mostly meant a return to benchwarming, although he did play some AFC Champions League (including keeping a clean sheet against Melbourne City in 2023). Then came Auckland FC where he spent a year behind Alex Paulsen before finally getting his chance in the 2025-26 campaign.
This guy must have a public relations problem or something because after a couple months of solid, slightly above average A-League goalkeeping... he made a couple of blunders and a bunch of fans were immediately calling for his head, talking about him like he’s an insult to the profession. Seems like for whatever reason (a poor game four years earlier against Honduras at the Olympics is a common touchstone) a lot of folks decided that he was crap before he’d even played and then waited months for a bugger-up to decide they were right all along.
The truth is that he’s fine, merely fine, and stepping into Alex Paulsen’s shoes was always going to be unflattering. But it’s also true that he’s been error-prone his whole career and in a modern All Whites context he’s just not good enough in the other areas to make up for it. In an ALM context it’s a different story and his getting dropped last week did seem a little premature for a dude who barely conceded one goal per game during the first half of the campaign. AFC have high standards though and Woud’s going to have to prove folks wrong with his performances on the pitch. If he doesn’t then he won’t be around for a third season in black and blue.
7) Oli Sail (Auckland FC – Australian A-League)
Oh Oliver. Having signed with his hometown club where he rode the pine behind Michael Woud for 14 games, he finally got his chance away in Perth against his former club... and he ruptured a tendon in his knee while taking a goal kick. Surgery required. Season over. There goes his chance of overhauling Michael Woud for the number one status at the Black Knights. To be honest, there’s not a whole lot between the pair and both Perth and Wellington fans could tell you that anyone thinking Sail would be less error-prone or more comfortable back maybe needs to check the tape. The same things about Woud apply to Sail: he’s a solid, mostly reliable, A-League level goalkeeper who will make some good saves and will make some silly errors.
One thing Sail does have massively in his favour is that he is an excellent leader from the back, with his communication being his strongest element (we even saw that a bit for the AFC Reserves in the National League). Could be that, were he not injured, his more vocal presence might have helped organise an AFC backline that seems to always be reshuffling after another pesky injury – only being able to pick the top choice back four of Sakai-Hall-Pijnaker-FDV on 4/15 occasions thus far. Sail was due an opportunity at some stage this season and had he taken it then he could have swapped spots with Woud on this list. But that’s about all.
The main case for him going to the World Cup (pre-injury) was to have a veteran GK3 but does that really matter in a squad that’s likely to be carrying Tommy Smith in some capacity (maybe not a playing capacity)? Not to mention a plethora of other outfielders who’ve worn the captain’s armband for their clubs. Sims and Gray have both served as backups for long stretches at high levels, they know what that job entails. As does Nik Tzanev who has played significantly more professional games than Sail, including more pressure-cookers thanks to the existence of relegation in the English leagues. Sail had a nice run as the AWs starter late in the Danny Hay Era, including playing the intercontinental playoff loss to Costa Rica, although his last cap was in a 4-1 loss to Sweden in June 2023. In another generation he might have played 30-odd times for the national team but in this generation the high-watermark has risen.
8) Alby Kelly-Heald/Eamonn McCarron (Wellington Phoenix – Australian A-League)
Not sure how to split them so I haven’t. AKH got a taste of A-League footy last year after Josh Oluwayemi was injured and he performed really well, even keeping Olu on the bench after his return... until AKH got injured himself. That injury allowed McCarron to take his place throughout preseason and thus it was EM who benefitted when Oluwayemi was injured this season. Couple shaky moments in there, including a rough first start away to Melbourne Victory, but he grew with every match. That is, until Alby Kelly-Heald delivered the necessary response in training and won the spot back himself for the 500th game draw vs Melbourne City most recently. Kelly-Heald is further ahead in his development (he’s two years older so he should be) but they’ve interchanged over the past twelve months so let’s just stick them together.
Like many of the keepers on this list, AKH is very tall. Goes without saying as a Kelly-Heald twin. He’s also fantastic with his feet, really comfortable on the ball and a nice passer from the back. Of the three keepers at the Nix, his style probably best suits the high defensive line. McCarron isn’t actually that much shorter and his finest credential is his bravery, leaping to claim crosses and diving at the feet of attackers without hesitation. AKH is 20 years old. McCarron is 18 years old. Between them they’ve only played 15 A-League league games but each has already done enough to show they have future number one potential at the club. Once that happens, then we can talk about moving them up the rankings.
9) Zac Jones (AFC Fylde – English National League North)
We’re reaching pretty far down the leagues here for Jonesy, who moved to the English sixth tier after a series of wonderful seasons in Wales, although note that his clean sheets and timely saves have helped put AFC Fylde in position to push for promotion. Max Crocombe was playing at the same level at the same age (25yo). Jones is a big game player who can absolutely hold his own in the higher divisions, his magnificent shot-stopping (especially on close-outs... and also in penalty shootouts) makes up for the fact that he’s the second shortest bloke on this list after AP. Sat on the bench a bit for the Wellington Phoenix during the covid seasons, playing heaps for their Reserves back then. He’s only had two clubs in Britain but they both love him and that’s a trend that needs to be recognised. Jonesy will have to earn a promotion or two to get into any of Darren Bazeley’s plans but repeat it once more: so far he’s following a very similar path to the one that Max Crocombe once trod (only with his A-League stuff happening much earlier).
10) Joe Wallis (West Bromwich Albion – English Championship)
Let’s chuck one more youngster in the mix... Wallis was the backup to Gray at the last U20 World Cup. Formerly with Western Springs and then Auckland City, he’s been in the West Brom system for the last two years and is currently poised as their third-choice senior goalie, having made it onto the bench a couple times this season. Hasn’t played senior footy for WBA yet but he’s gotten plenty of games for their U21s. He’s off-contract after this season, though the club does have an option for one more year. Early days for him but these are very good signs for one so young.
Those are the top ten (alright, eleven including the Nix double-up) but there are plenty more good goalies where those hombres came from. We’ll be here all day trying to fill a complete list but let’s just add a bonus quintet here of youngsters with the most potential for professional careers on par with the top few lads on this list...
Joe Chalabi (Wellington Phoenix) – Recently got called up to an A-League bench, went to the U17 World Cup in 2025. Seems to be pretty big raps on him in the Nix Academy and there’s no position that the Nix Academy has a better track record of helping develop.
Eli Jones (Auckland FC) – There are lots of keepers in the AFC ranks... if you include the OPL then beyond Woud and Sail there’s also Joe Knowles, Oscar Mason, Blake Callinan, Eli Jones, and Liam Hill. Jones is one of the youngest, he turns 19yo next month, and based on some terrific National League displays he might just have the highest upside of them all.
Nathan Garrow (Auckland City) – Had him as my First Team keeper for the last National League season, having been so impressed by his improvements in 2025. It was at the FIFA Club World Cup that he made a name for himself but it was his his brilliantly consistent National League efforts that proved his worth. Genuinely curious where he might go from here.
Toby Borgnis (Reading FC) – Started ahead of Chalabi at the last U17 World Cup. Him and his older brother Jacob (a midfielder) are in the Reading academy, born and raised in England but with a kiwi parent. Never quite know how it’ll go with those dual nationals but he’s one to keep an eye on.
Matt Foord (Bula FC) – Part of the Nix Academy but currently off doing OPL things with Bula FC, Foord was playing National League for Cashmere Technical the same year he was starting games at the U17 World Cup. If it wasn’t for a long-term injury that halted his progress he might have been getting the reps that Eamonn McCarron’s been getting. Above all else, Foord is a tremendous passer from the back. He’ll be splitting the press all day long.
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