Tottenham Pre-Season Tour Kicks Off in Auckland

Tottenham’s long-haul summer starts in Auckland, but this is no gentle stretch of the legs. Not after the money they’ve spent. Not with the mood around the club crackling with expectation and uncertainty in equal measure.

On Sunday at Eden Park, Spurs face Auckland FC to open their pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia, the first public glimpse of Roberto De Zerbi’s remodelled side. The venue is sold on spectacle: a record crowd is expected, and Spurs arrive as the main attraction.

De Zerbi’s new era steps into the light

The work has already started behind closed doors. Tottenham edged MK Dons 1-0 in a private friendly on Wednesday, a quiet win to ease the legs back into rhythm. This, though, is different. This is the first time travelling supporters will see De Zerbi’s ideas and the club’s lavish summer outlay on display.

Spurs have spent more than £200million on six new signings, a statement of intent that jars sharply with those back-to-back 17th-place finishes in the Premier League. The message from the boardroom is obvious: survival is no longer the bar. Progress is non-negotiable.

Five of the six new recruits have made the 35-man squad for the tour. Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Andy Robertson, Jan Paul van Hecke and Martin Dubravka are all on the plane, ready to be folded into De Zerbi’s high-tempo, possession-heavy blueprint. Only Argentina centre-back Marcos Senesi stays behind, the sole new arrival not travelling.

The manager is unlikely to show his full hand in Auckland. Pre-season rarely works that way. Expect instead what Spurs used against MK Dons: one XI for the first half, another for the second, patterns of play over polished performances. The predicted lineup for Eden Park leans heavily into the new faces: Kinsky; Takai, Micky van de Ven, Van Hecke, Destiny Udogie; Fernandes, Tonali; Yang, Mikey Moore, Mathys Tel; Dominic Solanke.

Big names missing, big questions looming

For all the excitement around the arrivals, the absentees are just as telling.

Guglielmo Vicario misses out with what the club have called a “minor knock”. Pape Matar Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur are also not involved, both granted extended leave after their World Cup exertions. Those who went deep into the tournament – Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero and Djed Spence – have also stayed at home.

Two names hang over the trip. It is not yet clear whether Vicario and Romero have already played their last games for Spurs, with both heavily linked with moves away. Their absence from the tour only sharpens the speculation.

The injury list adds another layer. Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert remain at Hotspur Way as they continue their recovery from long-term problems. De Zerbi will have to build his early pre-season rhythm without a cluster of players who, on paper, could form the spine of his attack.

Door opens for Spurs’ next generation

When senior players stay behind, opportunity usually travels. That is the case here.

The gaps in the squad have cleared a path for several youngsters to step forward. Luca Williams-Barnett, who caught the eye against MK Dons, is among those handed a chance to impress again. Mikey Moore, tipped as one of the brightest prospects in the academy, is also in the frame and is even included in the projected starting XI for Auckland.

These are the games that can tilt a career. A sharp cameo, a fearless run at a full-back, a clever pass in tight spaces – pre-season is where young players convince a new head coach they belong in the conversation when the serious football starts.

De Zerbi will demand intensity even in July. His football is unforgiving, built on bravery with the ball and constant movement without it. For the youngsters, that’s both a challenge and an invitation.

Auckland test and a packed southern tour

Auckland FC are no ceremonial opponent. They finished third in the A-League last season and will relish the chance to measure themselves against Premier League opposition in front of a huge home crowd. Eden Park, more used to hosting rugby blockbusters, will turn football stadium for the morning, with kick-off set for 4am BST on Sunday July 26, 2026.

Spurs, though, are the draw. The club’s global reach, the intrigue around De Zerbi, the weight of that transfer spend – all of it feeds into the sense that this is more than a routine friendly. It’s an early test of how quickly a rebuilt squad can find its shape.

Once the Auckland game is done, Tottenham head across the Tasman to Australia. Sydney FC await, before a meeting with London rivals Chelsea rounds off the tour. Three matches, three different markers of where this squad stands.

The stakes in July are never about points. For Tottenham, they’re about something sharper: whether this expensive, ambitious project finally looks ready to climb away from the bottom end of the table – and how quickly De Zerbi can turn promise into a team that actually convinces.