AUCKLAND, New Zealand — One of the UC Santa Barbara Men's Soccer program's greatest-ever defenders is headed to the FIFA World Cup. Michael Boxall, a Gaucho record holder and 2010 Big West Champion, was named to New Zealand's 26-man team for this summer's tournament on Wednesday. He is the second Gaucho Men's Soccer alumnus selected to play for the All Whites at a World Cup, joining Tony Lochhead, who started all three games for New Zealand at the 2010 tournament. Boxall and Lochhead are two of eight former Gauchos to play senior international soccer, with Manu Duah in line to become the ninth after earning his first call-up with Ghana earlier this month.
 
From 2007 to 2010, Boxall was a staple in UC Santa Barbara's back line, setting the program's single-season record with 2,185 minutes played in 2009 and finishing with 6,730 career minutes in the Blue and Gold, the fourth-most in program history. In 2010, he anchored a Gaucho defense that ranked among the top 25 teams nationwide in both shutout percentage and goals-against average, leading UC Santa Barbara to The Big West Championship. He was the first pick in the 2011 Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft, and he made his international debut for the senior New Zealand team later that year.   
 
Since his All Whites debut, Boxall has made 61 appearances for New Zealand on the senior level, plus six appearances across the 2008 and 2024 Olympic Games with the under-23 OlyWhites team. His first international goal was the game-winner against New Caledonia on March 24, 2025, the goal which qualified New Zealand for this summer's World Cup.
 
Boxall and the All Whites begin their World Cup campaign on June 15 at 6 p.m. Pacific Time, when they will take on Iran at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. New Zealand then faces Egypt on June 21 at 6 p.m. and Belgium on June 26 at 8 p.m., both from BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia.