Club World Cup news: Meet the Oceania and Asian representatives
Following the conclusion of the European domestic football season, attention shifts to the newly revamped FIFA Club World Cup, set to take place in the United States from June 14 to July 13, 2025.
While plenty of the focus will be on the traditional European powerhouses – such as Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain – the competition could be an opportunity for lesser-known sides to shine on the global stage.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Samuel Leasley takes a look at those clubs hailing from Oceania (OFC) and Asia (AFC) and analyses their chances.
OFC – Auckland City (New Zealand)
The kings of the OFC Champions League are heading to the Club World Cup for the 12th time and will look to spring some historical upsets in a group containing Bayern, Benfica, and Boca Juniors.
The amateur outfit recently secured their 13th overall – and fourth-consecutive – Champions League crown by dispatching Hekari United 2-0 thanks to a Myer Bevan brace.
Auckland’s only notable CWC achievement to date came over a decade ago, when they managed a third-place finish at the 2014 edition after victories over ES Setif of Algeria and Cruz Azul of Mexico.
Although it is likely that the New Zealanders will be left adrift at the bottom of Group C, their participation will be an incredible occasion for the club and provide a welcome cash injection.
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AFC – Al Ain (United Arab Emirates)
Qualifying for the competition off the back of winning the 2024 AFC Champions League, Emirati side Al Ain will need to overturn at least one European giant to progress from Group G, where they face off with City, Juventus, and Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca.
Al Ain, it must be remembered, shocked the continent last year by seeing off Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr on penalties in the quarter-finals of the Champions League before putting both Al-Hilal and Yokohama F. Marinos to the sword on their way to a second continental title.
They have made one previous appearance at the CWC, being beaten in the 2018 final by a dominant Real Madrid following victories over River Plate and ES Tunis.
The club recently announced the signing of former Wolves and Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patrício in time for the tournament, with the shot stopper joining following a spell at Atalanta.
As a team from the Middle East, Al Ain are sure to get plenty of attention and will moreover be out to prove they are not there to just make up the numbers.
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AFC – Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Despite the Saudi Pro League exploding onto the global football scene in recent years, its only representative at the CWC is Al-Hilal, who qualified via winning the 2021 Champions League.
The Riyadh-based outfit have participated three times in the competition, reaching the final in 2022 before losing 5-3 to Real Madrid.
Al-Hilal boast numerous household names such as Sergej Milinković-Savić, Aleksandar Mitrović, João Cancelo, and Rúben Neves.
Real Madrid will provide opposition once again, alongside Pachuca and Red Bull Salzburg, in a group that the Saudi side should be confident of qualifying from.
Indeed, considering Saudi Arabia’s heavy investment in football and the growing expectation around the Saudi Pro League, Al-Hilal will no doubt be under a lot of pressure to perform.
AFC – Ulsan HD (South Korea)
Ulsan HD are the only Asian representative not to qualify through winning a continental competition but rather via their coefficient standings.
The club edged out fellow South Korean side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the AFC qualification rankings to punch a ticket to the CWC despite only making the semi-finals of the 2024 Champions League.
Their standout man is Brazilian forward Yago Cariello, who finished third in the goalscoring charts as Ulsan secured a third-consecutive K League 1 title last year.
Group F sees the club face off against Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, Fluminense of Brazil, and German giants Borussia Dortmund.
Many expect Dortmund to continue their resurgence under Niko Kovač, but second place could prove a more open battle, with a key match-up between Ulsan and Fluminense set for June 21.
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AFC – Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan)
Completing the AFC line-up at the CWC is Urawa Red Diamonds, winners of the 2022 AFC Champions League.
Following a lacklustre J League 1 campaign in 2024 that saw the club finish 13th, the Saitama-based outfit have bounced back to sit third in the table this season.
The club contains some notable names – former Barcelona prospect Hiroki Abe and Swedish international Samuel Gustafson – and will have belief in progressing from Group E.
Inter Milan are expected to top the group, so the three-way shootout between Monterrey, Urawa, and River Plate is what it comes down to.
The Japanese club’s best showing at the CWC is third in 2007, when they bested Tunisian side ES Sahel on penalties in the third-place play-off match after a narrow 1-0 defeat to eventual champions AC Milan.
Summary
While many fans and pundits are already writing off sides from the East, there will be ample opportunity for multiple OFC and AFC teams to progress to the knockout stages of the competition.
Al-Hilal are likely to progress furthest, with the Saudi Pro League side backed over both RB Salzburg and Pachuca to make the next round.
However, nothing is certain, especially in the revamped format, and there remains plenty of room for surprises.
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