Club World Cup Preview: Auckland City FC

In partnership with

Hooligan Soccer

·3 giugno 2025

Club World Cup Preview: Auckland City FC

The ninth in our continuing series highlighting all thirty-two clubs in the FIFA Club World Cup, which starts on June 14th.

Club Background

From: Auckland, New Zealand
How They Qualified: Auckland has won the past four OFC Champions League competitions between 2022 and 2024.
Best CWC Finish: They have qualified for the tournament a record twelve times. Their best finish came in 2014 when they placed third.

Recent Form: Currently second place in the New Zealand Northern League, one point behind the leaders. They have 5W – 1D – 3L in their last eight matches. In their build-up to the opening match they will play friendly matches against Philadelphia Union on June 5 and Al Ain on June 9.
Facts: 81% of the team hail from New Zealand. They have won every Northern League title since 2021, and have thirteen OFC Champions League titles. They are the only amateur club in the tournament. Yes, many of the players hold day jobs.

The Team

Manager: Paul Posa Posa (who was the ACFC manager between December 2008 and June 2010) replaced Spaniard Albert Riera in January 2025. Over the weekend it was announced that he will not travel with the team due to personal circumstances. A four-person team of assistant coaches (Adria Casals, Ivan Vicelich, Daewook Kim, and Jonas Hoffmann) will manage in his absence.
Star Players: The euphemism “star” is a bit of a misnomer. The majority of players don’t even have a Wikipedia page, and statistics from the league aren’t terribly up-to-date. Mario Ilich New Zealand defender and team captain. Has been with the club since 2012. Myer Bevan Striker. Played a number of seasons with Vancouver Whitecaps and FC Cavalry.
Young Players to Watch: The youngest player on the squad is 18 year-old Jeremy Foo, a Kiwi midfielder signed in January from Manurewa AFC. Then there’s 21 year-old right back Adam Bell, who came from Western Suburbs FC. He scored in their last match against West Coast Rangers FC.

When to Watch

12:00pm ET on Jun 15, 2025 vs. Bayern Munich @ TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
12:00pm ET on Jun 20, 2025 vs. SL Benfica @ Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando, FL
3:00pm ET on Jun 24, 2025 vs. Boca Juniors @ GEODIS Park, Nashville, TN

The Hooligan Take

The expression “a snowball’s chance in hell” is applicable here. Being grouped with two UEFA giants and one of Argentina’s strongest clubs doesn’t give Auckland City much hope for advancing. Success will be measured in effort, and every goal they score will be met with wild celebration from the handful of fans who make the long journey to support their club.