Bayern Munich vs Auckland City

In the opening match of the newly formatted Club World Cup held in the United States, Bayern Munich will face off against Auckland City at TQL Stadium on Sunday.

The German giants, fresh off securing the Bundesliga title, will compete in a four-team group that includes Benfica and Boca Juniors. Auckland City, meanwhile, sits third in the New Zealand National League.

Bayern dominated the 2024-25 Bundesliga season, finishing with 82 points, 13 ahead of runners-up Bayer Leverkusen. They topped the league's scoring charts with 99 goals in 34 matches, their second-highest tally since the 1972-73 season. Defensively, they were unmatched, conceding just 32 goals—11 fewer than any other team in the German top flight.

However, manager Vincent Kompany will aim to bolster his side’s knockout competition record after disappointing exits in the Champions League quarter-finals against Inter Milan and the DFB-Pokal round of 16 against Bayer Leverkusen.\

Bayern, Club World Cup winners in 2013 and 2020 with victories over Raja Casablanca and Tigres UANL, closed the season in top form, going unbeaten in their final seven matches, scoring 20 goals, conceding seven, and securing four clean sheets.

Auckland City, on the other hand, trails New Zealand National League leaders Birkenhead United by just four points with 25, ahead of a key matchup at the end of July. The Navy Blues celebrated a 2-0 win over Hekari United FC in the OFC Champions League final, marking their fourth straight title in the competition. In the league, they’ve scored 22 goals and conceded 14, ranking fifth in attack and second in defense.

Under head coach Paul Posa, Auckland have won three of their last four games, drawing once and keeping two clean sheets. Despite their dominance in Oceania, Auckland’s part-time players, accustomed to crowds of 3,500 at home, will face a daunting challenge at the 26,000-capacity TQL Stadium against one of Europe’s elite teams.