Bayern come into the tournament as reigning Bundesliga champions, while Auckland are currently third in New Zealand’s National League. Both teams are part of a four-team group that also includes Benfica and Boca Juniors.
The German giants had a dominant domestic season, finishing top of the Bundesliga with 82 points, 13 clear of second-placed Bayer Leverkusen. They scored 99 goals in 34 matches, their second-best tally since the early 1970s, and conceded just 32, better than any other team in the league.
Manager Vincent Kompany will be hoping for a deeper run in knockout competitions this time around after Bayern fell to Inter Milan in the Champions League quarter-finals and were knocked out of the DFB-Pokal by Leverkusen in the Round of 16.
Bayern have won the Club World Cup twice before, once in 2013 and again in 2020, beating Raja Casablanca and Tigres UANL in those finals. They closed out the 2024–25 season in strong form, going unbeaten in their final seven games, scoring 20, conceding just 7, and keeping four clean sheets.
Auckland City, meanwhile, are no strangers to success in their own region. They won the OFC Champions League for the fourth straight year with a 2-0 win over Hekari United in the final. They currently trail New Zealand league leaders Birkenhead United by just four points and face them in a key match at the end of July.
In league play, Auckland have scored 22 goals and conceded 14, ranking fifth in attack and second in defense. Under head coach Paul Posa, they've won three of their last four matches and kept two clean sheets along the way.
Still, Sunday’s match will be a huge step up in terms of competition and atmosphere. Most of Auckland’s players are part-timers, used to playing in front of crowds of around 3,500. TQL Stadium, by contrast, holds 26,000 fans, and they’ll be going up against one of Europe’s elite clubs.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Vincent Kompany will be eyeing the Club World Cup title, especially with the lucrative prize money on the line, but given the clear gulf in quality between the two sides, it’s unlikely he’ll field his strongest possible lineup against Auckland.Manuel Neuer should start in goal, possibly with Jonathan Tah and Eric Dier in front of him in central defense. Dayot Upamecano might be saved for later rounds. In midfield, Joshua Kimmich is expected to line up alongside young Aleksandar Pavlovic, while Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sané could start on the wings. Sané might not feature throughout the tournament, though, with his contract set to expire at the end of the month.
Harry Kane is almost certain to lead the line, and with Jamal Musiala a fitness doubt, veteran Thomas Müller may take on a more advanced role in support.
As for Auckland City, Conor Tracey is expected to start in goal, with a back four likely made up of Adam Bell, Nikko Boxall, Adam Mitchell, and Nathan Lobo. In midfield, Gerard Garriga, Michael Den Heijer, and Mario Ilich are likely options, while Dylan Manickum, Myer Bevan, and Joe Lee could form the attacking trio.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:Neuer; Laimer, Tah, Dier, Guerreiro; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Gnabry, Muller, Sane; Kane
Auckland City possible starting lineup:
Tracey; Bell, Boxall, Mitchell, Lobo; Garriga, Den Heijer, Ilich; Manickun, Bevan, Lee
EXPERT PREDICTION
Bayern Munich 10-1 Auckland City
