Read 3 minutesUpdated: June 16, 2026 02:20 PM IST
Sarpreet Singh scored for New Zealand in a thrilling 2-2 draw against Iran Their first match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Los Angeles StadiumThus joining the list of Indian-origin players in the tournament this year, others include Qatar’s Tahseen Mohammad Jamsheed, DR Congo’s Samuel Mautousami and Australia’s Nishan Velupille.
Sarpreet was instrumental in New Zealand’s first goal, with Elijah exchanging passes with him and captain Chris Wood before slotting the ball into the back of the net. He was taken off in the 92nd minute of the match, replaced by Jesse Randle.
Who is Sarpreet Singh?
Born on 20 February 1999 in Auckland, New Zealand, Sarpreet currently plays for Wellington Phoenix on loan from Serbian club TSC. Sarpreet’s parents are natives JalandharPunjab, and ran a grocery store in Auckland. The 27-year-old played for Onehunga Sports in his youth before signing for Wellington Phoenix in 2015.
He played with the A-League side until 2019, when he was spotted by scouts from Bayern Munich while playing for New Zealand at the 2019 FIFA U20 World Cup. In July 2019, it was announced that Sarpreet had signed a three-year contract with the German giants. It happened after four months First player of Indian origin to play in the BundesligaIn Germany’s top-tier football league, he made his Bayern debut as a substitute for Brazilian Philippe Coutinho in the final eight minutes of a 6-1 win over Werder Bremen.
In June 2022, it was reported that Sarpreet was close to signing with newly promoted Bundesliga side Werder Bremen. However, Werder themselves pulled out of the deal due to Sarpreet’s significant case of osteitis pubis. Sarpreet was loaned to FC Nürnberg for the 2020/21 season and then to SSV Jahn Regensburg in 2021/22. He was loaned to the latter club for the following season but his return to competitive football was delayed due to an error by Jahn Regensburg in registering the loan. This made him ineligible to play until 1 January 2023 when the transfer window opened mid-season.
Sarpreet spent one season at German side Hansa Rostock before moving to Portugal to play for Unaio de Leria. He joined TSC last year and then returned to Phoenix on loan. Sarpreet made his senior debut for New Zealand on 24 March 2018 in a friendly against Canada. His first goal came in India, incidentally, against Kenya in the 2018 Intercontinental Cup. Mumbai. He also assisted both goals New Zealand scored against India in that tournament They beat the hosts 2-1.