Lachlan Bayliss
Squad number 25 · Newcastle Jets
Their 2026 World Cup
Lachlan Bayliss travelled to the 2026 World Cup with New Zealand, wearing number 25, without ever getting on the pitch. His side played 3 matches (1 draw and 2 defeats) and bowed out in the group stage (Group G), beaten by Belgium 5-1.
Midfield went to M. Stamenić (3 matches, 269′) and E. Just (3 matches, 265′).
Another 8 players in the New Zealand squad ended up the same way, without a single minute. The full run is on the New Zealand team page.
Biography
Lachlan Ryan Bayliss (born 24 July 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for A-League Men side Auckland FC. Born in Australia, he represents the New Zealand national team.
Club career Bayliss' formative years as a footballer were spent in Darwin, Northern Territory, spending 4 years playing at youth level for Mindil Aces, before joining the youth set up at Central Coast Mariners as a 16 year old in 2018.
Central Coast Mariners Having come through the age groups for the Central Coast Mariners Academy, Bayliss was promoted into the NPL First Grade team for the Mariners for the 2022 season, with the Mariners competing in the newly renamed NSW League One competition, the second tier in the National Premier Leagues NSW system. Bayliss made an immediate impact for the team, ending the season as the equal top scorer in the competition with 13 goals in 22 appearances. The season saw the team win the Premiership for finishing top of the table and achieve promotion to the top flight, however losing the Grand Final 2–1 after extra time to St George City.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) · text adapted from the article.
See all the tournament stats on the World Cup data hub.
Photo: Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Joey Sitter · Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)