FIFA Club World Cup Fantasy 2025: Auckland City – Best players, predicted XI + more

In a FIFA Club World Cup full of Goliaths, Auckland City are a veritable David.

Many of the part-timers who play for the Group C minnows have had to take time off work just to make the trip to the United States, where expectations are, unsurprisingly, very low. The bookies make Auckland 1/200 to be eliminated in the group stage, indeed.

Most Fantasy managers will consequently be targeting the teams facing the New Zealanders in Matchdays 1-3.

So, what can we expect from the Navy Blues this summer? Our latest team preview covers the tournament outsiders.

How to play the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Fantasy game

AUCKLAND CITY: OVERVIEW

The part-timers from New Zealand are not to be confused with Auckland FC, who compete in the professional Australian A-League. That league falls under the rule of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

But the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) also gets a slot at this year’s Club World Cup. That was to be awarded to the highest-ranked club in the OFC’s top club competition from 2022-2024.

As winners of the OFC Champions League in all three of those years, Auckland City are just that.

Auckland are something of a powerhouse in their region, having won the OFC Champions League 10 times in 12 years.

They are also not new to the big stage. City have represented Oceania on 11 occasions at the previous incarnation of the Club World Cup, more times than any other team.

The New Zealand side even came third in 2014, narrowly losing to San Lorenzo in the semi-finals before beating Cruz Azul in the third/fourth-place play-off.

However, as the only amateur side involved, the Dark Blues have it all to do in this summer’s revamped competition against teams who hail from the other side of the world and, in financial terms, a whole new galaxy.

The gap seems to be widening, too. 3-0 defeats to Al Ahly and Al-Ittihad in the 2022 and 2023 Club World Cups preceded a 6-2 thumping by Al Ain last year. Bayern Munich, Benfica and Boca Juniors are a further step up.

To compound matters, they will be without their head coach, Paul Posa, who has withdrawn from the tournament due to “personal circumstances”.

Group fixtures

Bookies predictions

	To Qualify	To Win Group
Bayern Munich	84.8%	59.2%
Auckland City	2.8%	0.8%
Boca Juniors	50.0%	17.8%
Benfica	62.4%	22.2%

League Top Scorers

After 13 games:

Myer Bevan ($5.0m, FWD) – 5
Mario Ilich ($5.0m, MID) – 3
Matthew Ellis ($4.3m, MID) – 3

League Top Assist-Makers

After 13 games:

Myer Bevan ($5.0m, FWD) – 3

Set-piece takers

PENALTIES

Myer Bevan ($5.0m, FWD)
Angus Kilkolly ($4.7m, FWD)

Bevan has taken Auckland’s last four penalties, with Kilkolly on target from the spot when his teammate was absent.

CORNERS AND INDIRECT FREE-KICKS

Jerson Lagos ($4.8m, FWD)
Matthew Ellis ($4.3m, MID)
Zhou Tong ($4.5m, MID)

TOP FANTASY PICKS

Let’s be honest: few Fantasy managers are going to be interested in the teachers and barbers that will be facing the likes of Harry Kane and Julian Alvarez in the group stage.

We’ll very quickly rattle through the pick of them here, then, starting with forward Myer Bevan ($5.0m).

The striker is in his fourth stint at Auckland having played for various clubs in his native New Zealand, Canada and South Africa during an itinerant career.

He is Auckland City’s leading player for goals and assists and also their designated penalty taker, having scored both spot-kicks take this season.

He appeared and scored for the Dark Blues in the 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup.

Dylan Manickum ($5.0m) is probably Auckland’s most exciting player.

The 32-year-old midfielder has won three league and Champions League titles with the Dark Blues, while he has scored 52 league goals in 150 appearances.

He was the player of the tournament in the 2025 OFC Champions League, too, although the fact that his international experience is with the New Zealand futsal team indicates the size of the task at hand this summer.