India forward Ryan Williams is tapping into his prior experience of playing in New Zealand as the Indian men's football team prepares for their maiden visit to the country, with the first of two international friendlies against the All Whites scheduled at Go Media Stadium in Auckland on Thursday, 13 November 2026, kicking off at 11:40 IST. The fixture will be only the third senior international meeting between the two nations, following encounters in 1981 and 2018.

Williams' New Zealand Experience

The 33-year-old forward is one of the few members of the squad with first-hand knowledge of competing on New Zealand soil — or close to it. During his time with Australian club Perth Glory, Williams featured in a 2-2 draw against Wellington Phoenix in Palmerston North in January 2023, a fixture known as the 'Distance Derby'. That experience has given him a clear-eyed view of the logistical and physical demands involved.

'Every time I've come to New Zealand to play, it's always been difficult because of how far away it is from everything. From Perth, it's a long way. The time difference is something you have to manage as well,' Williams said.

Managing the Body Clock

With Auckland sitting seven and a half hours ahead of India, acclimatisation was an immediate priority upon the squad's arrival. Williams described a deliberate sleep strategy during the journey — sleeping on the first leg to Malaysia, then staying awake for the remainder to reset his body clock on arrival.

'I feel good. I've done this plenty of times before, so it definitely helps in situations like this,' he said, drawing on years of travel between Australia and the United Kingdom.

Cold Rain and a Cool Runnings Moment

The squad's training session at North Harbour Stadium Outer Oval on Tuesday started pleasantly before giving way to heavy rain and cold conditions — a sharp contrast to what many Indian players are accustomed to. Williams, unperturbed by the weather, found the reactions of his teammates memorable.

'Having trained in pouring rain, cold and on wet, muddy ground, I'm used to it. But these boys came out, and it was quite funny. It was like a scene out of Cool Runnings,' he joked, adding that the entire group embraced the challenge and was 'happy, glad that we're here, and thankful that these games have been put on.'

Building on Games Against Brazil, Uruguay and Panama

Thursday's match comes on the back of a testing international stretch for India, which included fixtures against Panama, Brazil, and Uruguay — all World Cup-level nations. Williams sees the New Zealand matches as a continuation of that high-calibre exposure.

'It's a really cool couple of games for us. Coming off the back of playing Panama, Brazil and Uruguay, we've got that taste for wanting to play teams that have been in the World Cup. We've learned a lot from those games and know how we can improve,' he said.

He added that the team's goal is to sustain the competitive phases that emerged in those games for longer stretches: 'There were periods in those three games when it didn't look like there was much difference. Our goal is to take that forward and try to sustain those good periods for longer against equally strong teams.'

Notably, Thursday will also be Williams' first international appearance on New Zealand soil, having previously faced the country only at youth level — representing Australia's U20 side in a 5-0 friendly win in Wollongong in June 2013.

India's second friendly is set for One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch on Sunday, 15 November, with kick-off at 08:40 IST. The two matches represent a significant moment in Indian football's efforts to benchmark itself against World Cup-level opposition ahead of its long-term qualification ambitions.