A-League premiers hope to be representing Oceania at next FIFA Club World Cup

A-League heavyweights Auckland FC hope there is no more confusion surrounding the identity of Oceania’s representative at the next FIFA Club World Cup.

The confusion over which Auckland team is representing Oceania in the FIFA Club World Cup is unlikely to be repeated in the second edition of the tournament in 2029 when an A-League side is expected to be involved.

There are many that are wrongly of the belief that A-League premiers Auckland FC are in the United States competing in the inaugural Club World Cup and were the team that suffered a humiliating 10-0 loss to German champions Bayern Munich on Monday morning (AEST).

However, the team is Auckland City, an outfit consisting of part-time footballers that plays in New Zealand’s national league.

City qualified for the Club World Cup on the back of being the most dominant team in the Oceania Football Confederation’s Champions League for the qualification period of the past four years.

Auckland City players are consoled by fans after losing 10-0 to Bayern Munich. Picture: AP Photo/Jeff Dean

However, with the new Oceania Professional League (OPL) set to start next year, the region will have different representative at the next Club World Cup in 2029.

Auckland City has already announced it won’t be taking part in the eight-team OPL.

Instead, New Zealand two OPL representatives will almost certainly be A-League clubs Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix.

And of the two teams, it’s likely to be the cashed-up Auckland FC, who are backed by billionaire American owner Bill Foley, that will be the most dominant during the next four-year qualification cycle.

And that’s even with age restrictions set to be placed on the Black Knights, as well as the Phoenix, as they will be the only genuinely professional clubs in the OPL.

“If you’re going to have a new professional league with the winners going to the Club World Cup as the most consistent team over the four years, you would want to make sure that the best teams are able to compete in that tournament so that the region has its best representation when they do come up against the giants of world football,” Auckland FC chief executive officer Nick Becker said.

Becker said the Black Knights had received hundreds of inquiries in recent days from people believing it was them, not Auckland City, competing in the Club World Cup.

🌟 @FCBayern brilliance in their #FIFACWC opener.

— FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) June 15, 2025

He said a “silver lining” of the mix-up was the exposure Auckland FC was receiving, with the club’s TikTok account having attracted 27,000 new followers.

Competing in the OPL will also help make up for the Black Knights’ inability to take part in the Asian Football Confederation’s Champions League Elite competition, which is usually afforded to the club that finishes on top of the A-League ladder.

However, as the Black Knights are from New Zealand, an OFC nation, they are ineligible to compete in an AFC competition.

Auckland City’s next game at the Club World Cup is on Saturday morning (AEST) against Portuguese team Benfica in Florida.

Originally published as A-League premiers hope to be representing Oceania at next FIFA Club World Cup