How a bunch of amateurs at Auckland City FC pulled off the upset of Club World Cup

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Auckland city FC Club World Cup Auckland City's Nathan Garrow, second from right, is congratulated by teammates after the Club World Cup Group C soccer match between Auckland City and Boca Juniors in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Christian Gray, a trainee physical education teacher at Mt. Roskill Intermediate School in Auckland, fears the assignment pile-up when he returns home and resumes his primary job. But the defender would take the pain of flipping through the humdrum pages with a content heart, as he netted the lone goal his club, Auckland City FC, scored in the Club World Cup, against Boca Juniors, the Argentinian powerhouse. “I don’t love the spotlight. I’ll leave that to the other boys, but, yeah, a lot of emotions,” Gray said after the game.

It was the most memorable hour in the club’s history. They survived an onslaught of 40 shies on goal, but showed the fight and tenacity to salvage a draw. Their inclusion was dubbed a FIFA farce, as they were obscenely mismatched in stature and economics. Most of the players are amateurs, get around 100 USD for a game (as opposed to six figure sums those in Europe earn.)

Even Auckland City’s local paper, the New Zealand Herald, joined the critics, suggesting the team had “damaged Auckland City FC’s proud 20-year legacy” in Fifa events. “It’s been a trying few weeks,” the Herald reported after two defeats. “In the past, Auckland City have been renowned for punching above their weight on the global stage, while usually having a couple of outstanding individuals. That hasn’t quite been the case here.”

Auckland 🆚 Boca #FIFACWC pic.twitter.com/Y4JdY4UVa6

— FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) June 25, 2025

The 5074th side in the world, according to Opta, had a combined market value of just $5.29 million. Bayern Munich, who thrashed them 10-0, had a total squad value of $1.04 billion which was just the fifth highest among all teams at the FIFA Club World Cup. Boca was worth 100 million dollars. “We rely on volunteers, we don’t have a lot of money so I’m just happy that they’re happy,” Gray said.

Auckland reported 1.1m New Zealand dollars (around £488,000) in revenue for the last financial year, compared to the Bundesliga giants’ 951.5m euros (£810m).

The team comprises community football coaches, an engineer, a sonographer, a coca cola sales manager, a barber, real estate brokers, forklift operators and warehouse managers. We’ve had some tough results, but I’m just happy for the team and the boys, I think we deserve it. We’ve got a little bit of respect.” Gray would say.

His family is no stranger to sporting glory. His father Rodger captained the country’s football team and now works as the security head of Auckland FC while his mother Sandra had represented her country in netball.

The result not only earned them international recognition but also a significant financial reward, with the club set to receive approximately US$4.48 million in total prize-money. “You can’t begin to explain the odds that we are up against,” manager Paul Poša said after the draw. “Our club is tiny with the hugest heart. We got something today from the tournament, which was a just reward for everybody that’s been working behind the scenes. You can’t say we haven’t learned from the experience of being at the tournament, I’m thrilled for the players and the club, it’s wonderful. It’s something to go home with.”

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