Photo Credit: OFC Media via Phototek
OFC Men’s Champions League winners Auckland City FC will participate in the first-ever FIFA Intercontinental Cup tomorrow morning, when they take on United Arab Emirates club and AFC Champions League winners Al Ain in the first round at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
The FIFA Intercontinental Cup takes the place of the FIFA Club World Cup’s previous calendar slot, with the former moving to a new quadrennial, 32-team format, beginning in June 2025.
Auckland City won their 12th OFC Men’s Champions League title this year, their third consecutive triumph, overcoming AS Pirae in the final in Papeete. Their history in the FIFA Club World Cup has produced some memorable moments, not least their third-place finish in 2014, when they narrowly missed out on making the final, before overcoming Mexico’s Cruz Azul on penalties in Marrakesh.
If they are to progress past the first round, they will need to find a way past an impressive Al Ain side. Nicknamed ‘Al Zaeem’, the Abu Dhabi club are by far and away the most successful team in UAE, with 19 league championships, seven President’s Cups, five UAE Super Cups and two AFC Champions Leagues titles to their name, as well as a runners-up place in the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup.
Their path to the FIFA Intercontinental Cup saw them face Japan’s Yokohama F. Marinos in the final of the AFC Champions League, where they recovered from a first-leg 2-1 defeat in Yokohama to win the return fixture comfortably 5-1, completing a 6-3 aggregate win to lift the trophy.
Al Ain should be fairly fresh for their encounter with Auckland City, with the UAE Pro League having kicked off just last month. They currently sit 5th, with one win and one draw from their opening two matches, whilst they began their new AFC Champions League Elite campaign with a 1-1 draw against Qatar’s Al-Sadd.
Auckland City will need to keep a keen eye on the pair of Soufiane Rahimi and Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba however. The Moroccan and Togolese were Al Ain’s top scorers last season, netting 23 and 20 goals respectively.
Head Coach Albert Riera is looking forward to the challenge on another big stage for his side.
“We want to compete a lot and give a good image. At the end of the day, we’re representing Oceania in a big tournament, so it’s all about competing and really enjoying every minute of it.
“After 90 minutes, you realise that they go by very quickly, so it’s not time to regret,” he said.
Riera was always keen to stress the size of the challenge awaiting his team on Monday morning.
“They’ve [Al Ain] won the Asian Champions League for a reason and they didn’t have an easy route to make it happen.
“They have very good players with a lot of experience, even the young lads. It’s a team that’s very well-drilled, I would say. They’re a team that likes to have the ball a lot, but they can hit you on the counter as well,” Riera continued.
FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2024
Al Ain v Auckland City FC
Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Monday, September 23, 4:00am (NZT)