Battle over how much cash Auckland City players will get from Club World Cup

RNZ News

a day ago

Players from Auckland City FC celebrate after their FIFA Club World Cup 2025 game against CA Boca Juniors.
Photo:
ALEX GRIMM / AFP
They earned $6 million as a participation fee as the Oceania representative, and then picked up a further $1.6 million for their draw with Argentinean side Boca Juniors in their last group game.
But Auckland City general manager Gordon Watson said the exact breakdown of the prize money was yet to be determined.
"We are in mediation with New Zealand Football over the destiny of the prize money," Watson told RNZ.
New Zealand Football said in a statement "while the exact amounts are commercially sensitive, a portion of the FIFA Club World Cup prize money goes to Auckland City FC and an amount is also allocated to support the sustainability of clubs in our National League system."
Watson indicated to RNZ that he felt the players should receive some form of payout.
However, he said there are strict regulations around payments to National League players who can only receive expenses.
The Auckland squad is made up players with regular jobs including teachers, community coaches, sales reps and warehouse workers.
The club qualified for the tournament as Oceania Champions League winners.
From 2026, the new Oceania Pro-League will decide the qualifier.
The clubs are yet to be finalised but Watson said Auckland City hasn't applied.
Auckland City are the Club World Cup tournament's record appearance holders with 13 appearances.
The prize money ballooned this year when the tournament expanded to 32 teams and had a total prize pool of $1.6 billion.
Previously, Auckland City has used some of their prize money to develop the game in the community including a coaching programme and facilities at nearby Mt Roskill Intermediate School.
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