Tommy Smith
#26 · Defender · age 36
Returns 16 years after 2010 South Africa squad
44
WC26 rating
- Recent form
- 17
- Career peak
- 17
- League level
- 55
- Competition pedigree
- 24
- International pedigree
- 88
- Longevity
- 15
Independent rating — league strength (Opta-anchored) × competition tier × position-normalized output. Not affiliated with EA or FIFA.
Career by season
Source: transfermarkt · fetched 2026-05-29
Smith’s selection is the feel-good story of the All Whites squad. Sixteen years after South Africa 2010 — where New Zealand became the only unbeaten team at the tournament — he returns as a 36-year-old veteran ostensibly providing dressing-room weight and emergency cover at center-back.
Whether he sees minutes depends on injury luck, but his presence connects the 2010 generation to a young squad and gives Bazeley a leadership voice off the field that no other player in the squad can provide.
Strengths
- Big-tournament experience
- Aerial duels
Recent form
National League starter for Braintree Town.
Will be the first New Zealand player in history to play at two World Cups separated by 16 years — Smith was an unused squad member in 2010 before his All Whites debut, and returns for the 2026 tournament at 36.