Auckland City Set for 2025 Club World Cup
Auckland City are set to take part in the Club World Cup after FIFA announced details of its revamp.
The new competition will be held every four years – it currently takes place every year – and will feature clubs from each of the six confederations.
FIFA have confirmed the club ranking methodology and it will see the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) entitled to one representative which will be Auckland City in 2025.
A FIFA spokesman said: “While the 2024 edition of the OFC Champions League remains to be played, of the teams that may potentially participate, there is no mathematical possibility for any to overtake Auckland City FC based on the points gained by that team over the qualification period to date.”
The Oceania qualification slot goes to the highest-ranked club in confederation Champions League matches in the four years leading up to the Club World Cup finals.
Auckland City won the Oceania title in 2022 and 2023, the latter a record-breaking 11th time, and cannot be overhauled.
The 2025 competition will be the first ever 32-team tournament including 12 clubs from Europe, six from South America, four each from Africa, Asia and North and Central America and the Caribbean, one from Oceania and a further team from the host nation which will be the USA.
It will take place from 15 June to 13 July 2025.
/Stewart
Sports news editor