Chris Wood

Early career

Wood began his senior career with Cambridge, scoring on his debut in the NRFL Division 2 in 2006 aged just 14, and after a spell at local rivals Hamilton Wanderers the following season in the NRFL Premier, he attracted the attention of ASB Premiership club Waikato.

West Bromwich Albion

Wood was recommended to West Bromwich Albion's Academy by coach Roger Wilkinson, who set up a trial for him. He found a rich vein of goal scoring form for West Brom's youth academy side, leading to a call-up to the reserve team where he was just as prolific. Injuries to several West Brom players saw Wood handed a surprise call up to the first-team for a Premier League match against Portsmouth at Fratton Park in April 2009. He came on as a substitute to become just the fifth New Zealander to play in the Premier League. At the end of the 2008–09 season, Wood signed his first professional contract, of two years with a further two-year option in the club's favour. This was followed in December 2009 with a new three-and-a-half-year deal, with West Brom having the option to extend that for a further year. He scored his first professional goal for West Brom on 15 September 2009, a "stunning" 25-yard strike into the top left corner, in a 3–1 win over Doncaster Rovers.

Loan spells

Wood was sent out on a 93-day emergency loan to Barnsley on 24 September 2010. The loan was terminated early by mutual consent after seven league appearances for the club without…

Wood represented New Zealand at under-17 level and was a standout performer for the All Whites at the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup, a tournament which earned him a trial with West Brom, for whom he later signed. After a string of impressive performances at club level, Wood's rise on the international stage continued as he was fast-tracked into All Whites coach Ricki Herbert's squad for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa. He made his debut in a friendly against Tanzania on 3 June 2009 in a warm-up match for the tournament. In May 2010, Wood was named in the All Whites World Cup squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and at 18 was the youngest member of the New Zealand team which travelled to South Africa. He came on as a substitute in the first group match in a 1–1 draw against Slovakia as New Zealand claimed their first ever point in a World Cup finals match. He appeared as a substitute in New Zealand's remaining group matches, a 1–1 draw with defending champions Italy and a 0–0 draw with Paraguay, as they were knocked out of the tournament after drawing all three group games. Wood scored his first international goal on 10 October 2010 in his country's 1–1 draw with Honduras. He was given a yellow card for the unusual nature of his celebration of the goal, where he revealed his underwear to the spectators. Wood scored his first international hat-trick against Solomon Islands on 10 June 2012 in the third place play-off of the OFC Nations Cup. He was named in the New…

Club

As of match played 25 August 2026

International

As of match played 26 June 2026

Wood was born in Auckland to Grant and Julie Wood; his mother is from England. Wood began his footballing career at Onehunga Sports; after moving to Hamilton aged 11, he attended St Paul's Collegiate School. Wood's sister, Chelsey Wood, is also a footballer, and has represented New Zealand at under-20 level. In June 2024, Wood married his long-term partner Emma Lovell, a solicitor. In October 2024, Wood revealed that he and his wife are expecting a baby girl, Wood's first child.