Who are Auckland City?

The 2025 Club World Cup is edging closer and we have taken a look at one of the teams set to compete in the tournament, Auckland City.

Where are Auckland City from?

Auckland City are based in the suburb of Sandringham in the New Zealand city of Auckland, they play their football at Kiwitea Street, which holds 5,000 supporters.

History 

Auckland City have the unusual distinction of being the only amateur side at the Club World Cup. They were formed in 2004 and have been on an almost unprecedented run of success since then, winning the league in their first season and going on to lift it another nine times.

They have also dominated the OFC Champions League in recent years, winning it 13 times since 2006, including seven straight titles from 2010 to 2017 and going on another run in the last four seasons, lifting the continental trophy on all four occasions.

They also have plenty of history with the Club World Cup as a result of their performances in the OFC Champions League, this will be their 12th Club World Cup campaign.

The most memorable of those came in 2014 where they beat Moroccan side Moghreb Tetouan, Algerian club ES Setif before losing out narrowly to Argentinians San Lorenzo 2-1 after extra-time.

They then beat Mexican side Cruz Azul on penalties to secure their first ever podium finish at the competition.

Their fortunes have been less impressive since then, they were beaten 3-0 by Al Ahly at the 2022 Club World Cup before losing 3-0 to Al-Ittihad a year later.

Nickname

Auckland City are usually referred to as the Navy Blues or simply City.

Notable Players

Current Players

Despite their amateur status, Auckland City do have a number of New Zealand internationals in their ranks. Adam Mitchell, Nikko Boxall, Myer Bevan, Ryan De Vries have all turned out for the national team.

De Vries also played for League of Ireland side Sligo Rovers in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, scoring six times across 46 appearances before returning to Auckland City.

Irishman Dylan Connolly is one of a number of overseas players, he came through the ranks at Shelbourne and Drogheda United before moving to Auckland City earlier this year.

Former Players

Keryn Jordan is one of Auckland City’s club legends, he scored almost a goal a game in his five-year spell with the club from 2005 until 2010 and was a key part of their first Club World Cup campaign in 2006. He also netted hat-tricks in both the 2006 and 2009 OFC Champions League finals. 

Ivan Vicelich is the most capped New Zealand international of all time and played for Auckland City from 2008 until 2016, featuring at the 2010 World Cup while playing for the club.

He captained the Navy Clues to five OFC Champions League titles and was a crucial part of the team which reached the podium at the 2014 Club World Cup. He won the Adidas Bronze Ball alongside Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Emiliano Tade is Auckland City’s all-time leading scorer and has also made the most appearances of any player for the club. The Argentinian originally travelled to New Zealand on a work visa to be a lawyer but ended up featuring in seven straight editions of the Club World Cup for the Navy Blues, which is the record for the tournament.

He also had spells in South Africa playing for AmaZulu and Mamelodi Sundowns before returning to Auckland City. He now plays for Auckland United.  

How did Auckland City qualify for the 2025 Club World Cup?

Auckland City’s dominant performances in the OFC Champions League meant that they had secured a spot in this edition of the Club World Cup as soon as the qualification process was announced in 2023.

The Navy Blues will receive a record pay day for featuring at the tournament, although the exact amount is yet to be decided between them and New Zealand Football.

Auckland City Club World Cup Group C

• Benfica
• Bayern Munich
• Boca Juniors