John Herdman rejects All Whites job offer, commits to Canada through 2026 World Cup

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John Herdman will not be the next All Whites coach.

The search for a new All Whites coach appears to be headed back to square one.

Canada coach John Herdman was understood to be New Zealand Football’s preferred candidate, but has ruled himself out and committed to his current job through the 2026 World Cup.

In a statement, Herdman said: “Success at this level will always invite opportunity. I’ve received several offers in recent months, all of which I’ve turned down, including an offer from New Zealand Football”.

“I want to reiterate my commitment to Canada Soccer and the growing of this programme.”

“At the World Cup in Qatar, our men showed the world that they belong at that level. I’m not going anywhere. We still have a job to do and the objective is to take this team to the next level in 2026.”

Herdman’s public rejection of NZ Football comes a day after the governing body revealed it had identified a preferred candidate to succeed Danny Hay as All Whites coach.

Chief executive Andrew Pragnell said an offer had been made to “an absolute standout candidate” in early January and, in his opinion, it was “very close” to being signed.

Pragnell said a family health issue then arose “out of the blue” for that candidate, which “created some real challenges for them in terms of them being able to sign a contract at this point in time”.

On Wednesday, Pragnell’s position was that he was “still in dialogue” with the prospective coach, but he was cautious in outlining where things stood with them.

“I would say positive, but unknown.

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A familiar face could soon be in charge of the All Whites, with John Herdman being NZF’s preferred candidate to take over from Danny Hay.

“Obviously we’ve had some deep conversations with them in terms of their interest, their commitment to the country, and wanting to have a really significant impact.

“Equally, when a left-field health issue comes at you out of the blue – and it was out of the blue – I think you just have to take things step by step.

“We’re still in dialogue. We’re still positive. I remain optimistic, but having said that, we are dealing with variables that are outside our control.”

Men’s under-20 coach Darren Bazeley has been appointed All Whites coach on an interim basis for their home fixtures against China in March.

Pragnell said on Wednesday that the end of the March window would provide “a chance for us to step back and decide what’s next”.

“Whatever outcome comes out of that, it might be a case of going back to the drawing board and if that’s the case, then we are open to that and obviously we could reengage others if we needed to.”