A special moment is approaching for football fans in Punjab as New Zealand midfielder Sarpreet Singh prepares to take part in FIFA World Cup 2026.
While Singh was born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand his family roots trace back to Jalandhar in Punjab giving his World Cup journey a special connection with India and now New Zealand will begin their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign against Iran on June 16 in California and as the team gets ready for tournament Singh is expected to be one of the important players in the squad. Sarpreet Singh's journey in football began at a young age. In a country where rugby and cricket are among most popular sports Singh chose football and worked hard to build his career and encouraged by his mother Sarabjit he joined Wynton Rufer Soccer Academy when he was just seven years old.
His talent quickly became clear. Singh progressed through youth football and later joined academy of Wellington Phoenix in 2015 and made his senior debut as a teenager and soon became one of club's most promising players and Singh also represented New Zealand at different age-group levels along with this he also played in 2015 OFC Under-17 Championship and later featured in FIFA Under-20 World Cups in 2017 and 2019.
These performances helped him establish himself as one of country's rising football stars.
In 2018 Singh made his senior international debut for New Zealand in a match against Canada. Later that year he scored his first goal for national team against Kenya during Intercontinental Cup held in Mumbai, India. One of the highlights of Singh's career came in 2019 when he secured a move to Bayern Munich following which the transfer made him the first player of Indian descent to join German football club and his move to Europe was seen as a major achievement for New Zealand football and further raised his profile on international stage.
Although opportunities with Bayern Munich's first team were limited Singh gained valuable experience while playing in Europe then later in 2026 he returned to Wellington Phoenix as he worked on regaining full fitness ahead of World Cup.
Away from football Singh has often spoken about his love for cricket.
Growing up in a Punjabi household he played backyard cricket and followed Indian cricket closely and he has also expressed admiration for Indian cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli and now, Singh is preparing for biggest tournament of his career. New Zealand have been placed in Group G alongside Iran, Egypt and Belgium and the team faces a difficult challenge but the World Cup gives Singh another opportunity to showcase his talent on the global stage.
For people in Punjab especially those with ties to Jalandhar Singh's journey is a story of hard work, determination and family heritage. As New Zealand take field at FIFA World Cup 2026 many football fans will be watching with interest as a player with roots in Jalandhar represents his country on football's biggest stage.