All Whites stars Sarpreet Singh and Ryan Thomas have been left out of New Zealand's squad to play China in a two-match series at Auckland and Wellington.
The duo have only just recently returned to playing for their respective clubs after recovering from injuries, and have been exempted from the friendlies later this month.
They join Bill Tuiloma and Ben Waine as the other notable omissions, with the pair tied down by club commitments overseas.
Their absence sees Wellington Phoenix right-back Callan Elliot earn his first All Whites call-up, with Max Mata and Alex Rufer also recalled for the first time since 2019.
"All of the players can't wait for the opportunity to play at home again, this time for a full FIFA window" interim All Whites coach Darren Bazeley said.
"The players had a taste of playing on home soil last year v Australia and are looking forward to once again playing in front of our home fans, both in Auckland and down in Wellington.
"This series gives us the opportunity to start the new World Cup cycle off and get our home fans excited about what is to come for this squad.
"Congratulations to Callan Elliot on his debut call-up after a great season with the Phoenix.
"He is a player I know well from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic campaign so it will be great to see him in the full All Whites environment.
"I'm also pleased to bring Max Mata and Alex Rufer back after a long time away.
"Max is a player in form over in Ireland, having recently scored a league hattrick, and Alex has obviously now fully recovered after a long time out with injury and is in good form with the Phoenix.
"Both Ben Waine and Bill Tuiloma were disappointed not to be able to take part in this window but from discussions with them both I'm happy that it is the right decision for their individual club careers, and they have both committed to future international windows.
"These are exciting times for this young squad, so I know everyone involved in the team can't wait to get started."
The All Whites play China at Mt Smart Stadium on March 23, before the second match at Sky Stadium on March 26.
All Whites squad: Kyle Adams, Kosta Barbarouses, Joe Bell, Michael Boxall, Liberato Cacace, Callan Elliot, Matthew Garbett, Alex Greive, Cam Howieson, Dane Ingham, Eli Just, Clayton Lewis, Stefan Marinovic, Max Mata, Callum McCowatt, Tim Payne, Nando Pijnaker, Marco Rojas, Alex Rufer, Oli Sail, Tommy Smith, Marko Stamenic, Chris Wood, Deklan Wynne.
