The Unused Subs

From not-so secret phone calls to suspend American red cards, to baffling refereeing decisions and our new best friend 'SNICKO', the 2026 FIFA World Cup has had it all... and then some! With that in mind, the boys on The Unused Subs bench count down the TOP FIVE WILDEST THINGS to have happened before the quarter finals get underway. Where does the orange guy helping Folarin Balogun rank? W...

Finn Surman transfer rumours are now commonplace after the Portland Timbers and All Whites central defender played out of his skin at the FIFA World Cup... in the process, scoring a fabulous headed goal from a Tim Payne assist against Egypt! Finn takes the time to join Goran, Iffy & Oli on The Unused Subs to describe the sensation of scoring a World Cup goal. Let's be honest: the vast majo...

The All Whites will play no further part at the 2026 FIFA World Cup - needing a win in their final pool game they have been humbled 5-1 by Belgium, and denied access to the Round of 32. So let the review begin! While the gulf in quality was evident against the Red Devils, there is so much to be proud of from a kiwi point of view. Goran, Iffy & Oli look at the standout performers across the ent...

The All Whites final group stage game at the FIFA World Cup is against Belgium at BC Place Vancouver, and for both teams it's a must-win match. The Red Devils are stacked with talent: Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku, Romelu Lukaku... the list goes on. But New Zealand have shown across the first two matchdays that they are capable of footing it with the best in the world. How will they fare agains...

Egypt has defeated New Zealand's All Whites at BC Place Vancouver, securing their first-ever World Cup victory and in the process, robbing the kiwis of theirs. Goran, Iffy & Oli look back at what might have been for Darren Bazeley's side who were given an early lead through an unlikely source; centre-back Finn Surman rising high in the 15th minute to power a header into the Egyptian ne...

We can bill it as Mohamed Salah versus Elijah Just as New Zealand's All Whites face Egypt at BC Place Vancouver! And on the undercard, Emam Ashour against kiwi captain Chris Wood - whatever way you slice it, this FIFA World Cup Group G clash is going to be special! To preview the action, Goran, Iffy & Oli wonder how the New Zealanders can handle the pace of Omar Marmoush, and the absolute...

An Elijah Just brace, some fabulous Chris Wood hold-up play, and a wonderful team performance has given New Zealand plenty to be proud about as the All Whites produced plenty of highlights in a 2-2 draw with Iran! After the match, Goran, Iffy & Oli Sail got together at Somm Wine Bar in Auckland to review the performance: The chance creation The expert finishing of Just The superb captain's...

Chris Wood versus Mehdi Taremi, New Zealand against Iran, and All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley mulling over his Starting XI for our first FIFA World Cup match in 16 years! Goran, Iffy and Oli return to preview NZ's opener in Group G, and we reveal the All Whites Starting XI - so Baze doesn't have to! All the contentious calls are made, including who will support Chris Wood in attack. S...

What is the All Whites Starting XI? Will they escape Group G at the FIFA World Cup? The answers to those two pertinent questions will present themselves in the coming days, because the wait is almost over - the FIFA World Cup for 2026 is so close we can almost taste it! On today's episode THE GODFATHER of New Zealand football arrives at Tyler St Sport. Yes that's right, it's none other...

¿Por qué Tim Payne no será titular con Nueva Zelanda? TIM PAYNE! The New Zealand All Whites footballer who has become the accidental hero of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Thanks to social media influencer Elscarso, the Wellington Phoenix right back went from 4,715 Instagram followers to around 4 million at the time of writing this blurb. WILD! But what happens when your social media channel 'blows...

Sorry not sorry, Australia... your best football team comes from New Zealand! In front of 28,000 fans at Go Media Stadium Mt Smart, Auckland FC reached the A-League summit by defeating Sydney FC 1-0, giving Aotearoa its first-ever A-League champion. There to see it happen was ERIK PAARTALU of Paramount Plus who joins The Unused Subs to review the occasion, and look forward to what comes next - for...

Kiwis will be scouring the web for Auckland FC vs Sydney FC tickets this week and Go Media Stadium Mt Smart will be packed for the first A-League Grand Final to be played in New Zealand - of course, you can always watch it live on Sky Sport! To gear up for the action, The Unused Subs are joined by Auckland FC's Director of Football TERRY McFLYNN - a former champion with Sydney FC. It goes with...

Another gargantuan episode for The Unused Subs as we tackle a phenomenal week in New Zealand's football history - not only has the Wellington Phoenix made the A-League Women's GRAND FINAL, but Auckland FC has the chance to make the men's equivalent. Just think: TWO KIWI TEAMS in the A-League Grand Finals?! And not only that, but FINN SURMAN of the Portland Timbers takes time out of his...

LIBBY CACACE joins The Unused Subs for the first time, Bev Priestman kindly takes a quick call at Brisbane Airport, two more Wellington Phoenix players take up the 10-Ball Challenge, and of course, there's the Elimination Final... That sudden death, do or die clash was won by Auckland FC over Melbourne City, 7-6 on penalties - but should we have gone beyond the 90? Goran & Jacob wonder why Dan...

The big question this week: Can Auckland FC still win the A-League? Having stumbled their way through the last 5 games of the regular season, and dropping out of the Top 2 in the process, they face Melbourne City this Saturday for a place in the semifinals. What changes need to be made to the Starting XI? Should they risk Francis De Vries if he's not ready? Would you leave out Sam Cosgrove in...

It's all happening in this week's episode of The Unused Subs! Iffy is at Sydney Airport awaiting a flight to London, Jacob frantically drives from NZCIS to Wellington to join the call, while Goran is in the company of the returning OLI SAIL at Tyler St Sport... and for the first time on the bench it's former Premier League goalkeeper JONATHAN GOULD! First things first: what's happe...

In January 2025, Goran & Jacob started The Unused Subs as a way to tell kiwi football stories - the ones from the pitch, the ones behind the scenes, and highlight the people and personalities playing the beautiful game at the highest levels representing New Zealand. Somehow, some way, we have got to 50 episodes - so cheers for being part of the journey! Along the way we've gathered up a Pa...

This week, we are graced by not one but TWO ALL WHITES: Marko Stamenić and Alex Paulsen! Goran & Jacob ventured into the team hotel while the squad was in Auckland, and burgled a little bit of time with each of them. A massive thanks to NZF and McDonald’s for making it all possible! We hope you all enjoy the results. Marko tells us about life with Swansea in the EFL Championship, including his...

The Unused Subs goes international this week as we welcome into Tyler St Sport LEDLEY KING! While in New Zealand to announce Auckland FC versus Tottenham Hotspur at Eden Park on July 26, we somehow managed to convince the Spurs ambassador to spend some time with us. And man, what an absolute treat it was! In the space of half an hour, Iffy & G cover off as much as they can: his days with Spurs...

In the wake of Giancarlo Italiano's resignation, Chris Greenacre has been handed the keys to the Phoenix Kingdom for a 4th time, and he joins us on the bench this week to talk all about it. On the surface it seems to be going really well: back-to-back wins, 3 matches unbeaten, one point outside the A-League top six. But Greeny says his focus isn't on ladder position or the playoffs, it&#39...

This week we are joined by none other than JESSE RANDALL: the Wellington kid carving up for Auckland FC, making the Phoenix pay dearly at derby time! Jesse talks about AFC's all-important win over Newcastle at the weekend, and what has made the Jets so hard to play against this season. Aspirations for the A-League, the FIFA World Cup, his move to Dundee United are all covered off, plus who is...

Injured Auckland FC goalkeeper OLI SAIL joins the bench today - the perfect replacement for Jacob Spoonley who finds himself in Australia on proper work-related duty. Oli helps Goran and Iffy preview the BIG CLASH this Saturday, with Auckland heading to Newcastle to face the high-flying Jets. A win for AFC keeps them in the Premiers Plate mix, but a third loss to Newcastle for the season would see...

Head coach of the Wellington Phoenix Women BEV PRIESTMAN is our special guest this week on The Unused Subs, and what a treat it was to spend time with this energizer bunny of a football manager. Things we cover off in this episode: * How she's adapted to the various injuries and unavailable players in her squad to put the Nix within striking distance of silverware * Bev's connection to New...

The Unused Subs is proudly presented by McDonald's! Boy, oh boy... what a week for the Wellington Phoenix. What a result for Auckland FC! The 6th kiwi derby became a routine dismantling of the Black & Yellow, with AFC claiming their sixth straight win in a 5 star performance in the capital. Shortly after full-time, Giancarlo Italiano stepped down from his role as Phoenix Head Coach. The Un...

For the final time this A-League regular season, our two kiwi teams square off on Saturday afternoon in the nation's capital. WHO WILL WIN? Can the Wellington Phoenix finally get on the board? Or will Auckland FC extend their streak to SIX?! The boys make an argument for the Nix, an argument for Auckland, and reveal which player will hold the key to unlocking victory. Then we are joined by our...