Francis de Vries

Francis de Vries
De Vries playing for the All Whites in March 2026.
Personal information
Full name Francis de Vries[1]
Date of birth (1994-11-28) 28 November 1994
Place of birth Christchurch, New Zealand
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position Defender
Team information
Current team
 Auckland FC
Number 15
Youth career
–2011 Canterbury United
2012 FC Basel
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2016 Saint Francis Red Flash 79 (15)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2012 Canterbury United 1 (0)
2014–2016 Michigan Bucks 32 (2)
2017 Whitecaps FC 2 20 (0)
2017–2018 Canterbury United 15 (1)
2018 Nyköpings BIS 11 (0)
2019–2022 IFK Värnamo 97 (5)
2023–2024 Eastern Suburbs 40 (7)
2024– Auckland FC 50 (3)
International career‡
2021– New Zealand 22 (1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 1 April 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 27 June 2026

Francis de Vries (Dutch: [ˈfrɑn.sɪs də ˈvrizə];[2] born 28 November 1994) is a New Zealand professional footballer who plays for A-League club Auckland FC and the New Zealand national team.

Club career

Canterbury United

De Vries played for Canterbury United in his youth. He played in the team which won the ASB Premiership Youth League in 2011.

FC Basel

De Vries was initially scouted to attend the APFA Academy in Christchurch, New Zealand, under the guidance of professional coaches Giovani Fernandes and Jess Ibrom. The academy had a direct relationship with Chelsea FC as well as a number of professional clubs all around the World including FC Basel in Switzerland. In 2012, De Vries would sign a six month contract with their Under-18s side.[3]

Saint Francis University

Following his release by Basel, de Vries opted to move to the United States to play college soccer at Saint Francis University, where he played for four years and made 79 appearances, scoring 15 goals.[4]

While at college, de Vries played with Premier Development League side Michigan Bucks.[5]

Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2

On 13 January 2017, de Vries was selected in the second round (29th overall) of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft by Vancouver Whitecaps FC.[6] He signed to Whitecaps FC 2 on 16 March 2017.[7]

Canterbury United FC

On 24 November 2017, de Vries signed with ISPS Handa Premiership side Canterbury United FC.[8]

Nyköpings BIS

On 21 July 2018, de Vries signed with Nyköpings BIS in the Division 1 Norra.[9]

IFK Värnamo

In January 2019, de Vries joined Division 1 Södra side IFK Värnamo. He played a key part in his club's consecutive promotions to the Allsvenskan and appeared in their first eleven top-flight games, but suffered a severe anterior cruciate ligament injury in July 2022 and returned to New Zealand to recover.[10]

Eastern Suburbs

In 2023 following his return from injury, de Vries signed with Semi-Professional side Eastern Suburbs in the New Zealand Northern League.[11]

Auckland FC

On 30 May 2024, de Vries joined Auckland FC as one of 4 inaugural sigings.[12] On 30 November, de Vries scored his first A-League goal in a 2–0 win over the Newcastle Jets. He later won the Members' Player of the Season award for the 2024–25 season.[13] De Vries would feature in Auckland FC's first 50 matches, becoming the first player to play 50 matches for the club, before suffering a calf injury which ruled him out for 6 weeks.[14]

International career

Born in New Zealand, de Vries is of Dutch and Swiss descent.[15] On 16 November 2021, de Vries made his international debut for New Zealand as a 95th minute substitute in a friendly match against The Gambia.[16] De Vries scored his first goal for the All Whites in a World Cup qualifying match against Samoa, an 8–0 win at Go Media Stadium.[17]

On 14 May 2026, de Vries was named in the 26-man New Zealand squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[18][19]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup[a] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Canterbury United 2011–12 Premiership 1 0 — — — 1 0
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 2017 USL 20 0 — — — 20 0
Canterbury United 2017–18 Premiership 15 1 — — — 15 1
Nyköpings BIS 2018 Division 1 Norra 11 0 1 0 — — 12 0
IFK Värnamo 2019 Division 1 Södra 29 2 5 0 — — 34 2
2020 Division 1 Södra 29 2 0 0 — — 29 2
2021 Superettan 28 1 3 0 — — 31 1
2022 Allsvenskan 11 0 0 0 — — 11 0
Total 97 5 8 0 0 0 0 0 105 5
Eastern Suburbs 2023 National League 30 5 0 0 — — 30 5
2024 National League 12 1 2 1 — — 14 2
Total 42 6 2 1 0 0 0 0 44 7
Auckland FC 2024–25 A-League Men 26 2 — — 2[b] 0 28 2
2025–26 A-League Men 22 1 4 0 — 3[b] 0 29 1
2026–27 A-League Men 0 0 — 1[c] 0 0 0 1 0
Total 48 3 4 0 1 0 5 0 58 3
Career total 223 15 14 1 1 0 5 0 243 16
  1. ↑ Includes appearances in the Chatham Cup, Svenska Cupen, and Australia Cup
  2. 1 2 Appearances in A-League Finals
  3. ↑ Appearance in FIFA Intercontinental Cup

International goals

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.18 November 2024Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand Samoa6–08–02026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

IFK Värnamo[20]

Auckland FC

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "FIFA World Cup 2026™ Squad Lists" (PDF). FIFA. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  2. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/reel/DO7XCmGCfrr/?igsh=MWkzYWk3ZmFjd2NpYw==
  3. ↑ "Michigan Bucks' Francis De Vries". Uslpdl.com. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  4. ↑ "Saint Francis University Red Flash Athletics – Francis De Vries – 2016". Sfuathletics.com. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  5. ↑ "Francis De Vries". Uslpdl.com. 13 January 2017. Archived from the original on 4 April 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  6. ↑ "Whitecaps FC select Francis de Vries in the second round of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft | Vancouver Whitecaps FC". Whitecapsfc.com. 28 November 1994. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  7. ↑ "Whitecaps FC sign centre back Francis De Vries to WFC2 roster | Vancouver Whitecaps FC". Whitecapsfc.com. 17 March 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  8. ↑ "Canterbury United sign promising defender Francis De Vries as pro football career stalls". stuff.co.nz. 24 November 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  9. ↑ "Francis de Vries klar för Nyköping". svenskalag.se. 21 July 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  10. ↑ "'Is it real?': Francis de Vries helps tiny Swedish club reach top-flight status". Stuff. 13 November 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  11. ↑ "Eastern Suburbs land three big signings ahead of new Northern League season". 14 March 2023.
  12. ↑ "Auckland FC unveil first signings ahead of debut season". Auckland FC. 30 May 2024.
  13. ↑ "A Knight of Celebration for Auckland FC". Auckland FC. 30 May 2025. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  14. ↑ Rollo, Phillip (31 March 2026). "Auckland FC dealt major blow as All Whites defender Francis de Vries ruled out for rest of regular season". Stuff.co.nz.
  15. ↑ Cranford, Aaron (2 August 2016). "Michigan Bucks' Francis De Vries". USL League Two.
  16. ↑ "Three wins in a row for the All Whites after 2–0 victory over The Gambia". NZ Football. 17 November 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  17. ↑ "Francis de Vries scores first All Whites goal as New Zealand thrash Samoa 8–0". New Zealand Football. 18 November 2024. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  18. ↑ "New Zealand Squad Named for FIFA World Cup 2026". www.nzfootball.co.nz. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  19. ↑ Powell, Alex. "Wood, Smith make history as All Whites name 26-man World Cup squad". NZ Herald. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  20. ↑ Francis de Vries at Soccerway
  21. ↑ jdodd (23 May 2026). "Auckland crowned Isuzu UTE A-League Champions after knocking off Sydney FC". A-Leagues. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
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