With no national team representation, India will once again watch the FIFA World Cup from the outside in 2026.

As always, most football fans across the country will split their loyalties between Brazil and Argentina, while European heavyweights like Germany, England and France will command their own loyal followings.

But this time, there will also be quiet pockets of support for New Zealand – and the reason sits much closer to home.

When Sarpreet Singh, an Auckland-born attacking midfielder with strong family roots in Punjab, walks onto the pitch for the All Whites, he will carry a connection that resonates deeply with Indian fans.

Nearly three decades after Vikash Dhorasoo represented France at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Sarpreet offers Indian football fans something rare on football’s biggest stage – a player with ties that feel unmistakably familiar.

Sarpreet has represented New Zealand at youth and senior level, featuring at the FIFA U-20 World Cups in 2017 and 2019 as well as the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Sarpreet also played a big role in helping New Zealand qualify for just their third FIFA World Cup appearance and their first since 2010.

His journey has taken him from local clubs in New Zealand to European football and a spell with German football giants Bayern Munich, making him one of the most successful footballers of Indian heritage since Dhorasoo.

Where is Sarpreet Singh from?

Sarpreet Singh was born in Auckland on February 20, 1999, to parents of Indian origin.

His family ran a grocery store in New Zealand and Sarpreet has often spoken about growing up in a close-knit Punjabi household alongside his elder brother and sister.

“I’m from a very typical Punjabi family with a lot of uncles and aunties and cousins,” Singh told Sportstar after New Zealand qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026 last year. “We always used to play backyard cricket, a bit of basketball.”

Despite trying several sports, football was his first love.

Sarpreet began playing at a young age and developed at local clubs Papatoetoe and Onehunga Sports before joining the Wellington Phoenix FC academy in 2015.

One of his earliest football memories is watching New Zealand beat Bahrain in Wellington to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

At the time, Sarpreet was a 10-year-old in the stands collecting autographs from his heroes.

Sarpreet has often credited his mother, Sarabjit, for helping him pursue his football dream.

“Since I was a young kid, she put in a lot of effort for me – taking me to training sessions, academies and individual coaching,” he said in a podcast with Bharat Army. “I’m very grateful for that.”

Despite growing up in Auckland and spending a lot of time in Europe, Sarpreet has time and again underlined the pride he takes in his Indian heritage.

A fan of Canadian Punjabi singer Jazzy B and his mother’s home cooking, Sarpreet even calls himself an Indian at heart.

He also loves cricket – seemingly a quintessential Indian trait.

“Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar are my favourites in Indian cricket. They are incredible sportsmen and they have represented the country for so many years. So, when I watch cricket I like these two,” Sarpreet once told Khel Now.

Sarpreet Singh’s football career

Singh made his senior debut for Wellington Phoenix FC as a 16-year-old and quickly established himself as one of the most exciting young talents in the A-League.

During the 2018-19 season, he scored five goals and provided eight assists, performances that earned him a place in New Zealand’s squad for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Singh scored once in four matches as New Zealand reached the round of 16, where they lost to Colombia in penalties.

His displays caught the attention of FC Bayern Munich, who signed him to a three-year deal in July 2019.

Singh became the first player of Indian descent to represent Bayern Munich and later the first New Zealander to play in the Bundesliga since Wynton Rufer, who retired in 2001.

Loan spells with 1. FC Nürnberg and SSV Jahn Regensburg followed before an osteitis pubis injury stalled his progress just as he was closing in on a move to Werder Bremen.

After subsequent spells with FC Hansa Rostock, União de Leiria and Serbian club FK TSC, Sarpreet returned to Wellington Phoenix on loan in 2026 to regain match fitness ahead of the World Cup.

Sarpreet Singh with the New Zealand national team

Singh first represented New Zealand at the 2015 OFC U-17 Championship and later played at the FIFA U-20 World Cups in 2017 and 2019.

He made his senior debut against Canada in March 2018.

His first international goal came later that year against Kenya at the Intercontinental Cup in Mumbai. In the same tournament, he provided both assists in New Zealand’s 2-1 win over India.

“That was a crazy experience,” Sarpreet recalls. “It’s a little bit strange being a Singh and playing for New Zealand in India against India.”

Though he moved in and out of the squad during the early years of his senior career, Singh re-established himself as a regular and was part of New Zealand’s squad for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

He also played an important role in New Zealand’s successful qualifying campaign for the FIFA World Cup 2026, helping the All Whites secure their first appearance at the tournament since 2010.

Darren Bazeley, who coached Sarpreet at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, is now New Zealand’s senior national team head coach.

“I have a very good relationship with him,” Sarpreet said. “The team wants to be on the front foot and play attractive football.”