Who Auckland City will face in May’s OFC Men’s Champions League

Auckland City will start the defence of their OFC Men’s Champions League title against Fiji Premier League club Rewa on Saturday May 11, 2024.

After beating Wellington Olympic 4-3 in a two-legged play-off tie, Auckland City have been confirmed as New Zealand’s representative at the Champions League tournament in Tahiti to be held from May 11-24, 2024.

READ MORE: Auckland City’s late burst topples Olympic in OFC Champions League qualifier >>>>

The Navy Blues’ opponents in Group A are Rewa, who finished runners-up in last season’s Fiji Premier League, Papua New Guinea champions Hekari United and Solomon Warriors, who won the Telekom S-League in a tight three-way finish.

Rewa head coach Rodeck Singh says facing Auckland City will be a tough challenge and his side will need to prepare physically and mentally for the match.

He told PBC News: “They surely prove to be a powerhouse in Oceania, and to play them first is a big task ahead of us, a big job ahead of us, and we need to be ready for them.”

In Group B, the qualifying clubs are Tahiti’s AS Pirae, runners-up in the 2022-23 Tahiti Ligue 1, seven-time Samoa National League winners Vaivase-Tai, Vanuatu’s Ifira Black Bird and AS Magenta, who won New Caledonia’s 2023 Super Ligue.

Ifira Black Bird gave Auckland City a huge scare in the 2023 tournament semi-final, losing a penalty shoot out to the New Zealanders after scores were tied 2-2 after extra time.

READ MORE: Auckland City scrape through semi-final on penalties at OFC Champions League >>>>

Black Bird played a third of the game with 10 men after the dismissal of Vanuatu international Timothy Boulet, who has since joined Auckland City.

Auckland City beat Fiji’s Suva FC 4-2 in extra time to win the 2023 final.

READ MORE: Auckland City need extra time to clinch 11th OFC Champions League title >>>>

The groups

AS Pirae were the last team to qualify for the tournament, beating AS Tefana in a penalty shootout on Saturday March 16.

The prize for winning the OFC Champions League

The winners of the OFC Men’s Champions League will qualify to represent Oceania at a new annual FIFA club competition, the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.

The first staging of the six-club tournament will be in December.

READ MORE: Pathway confirmed for New Zealand clubs in new annual FIFA competition >>>>

Fixtures

Auckland City’s group games at the OFC Men’s Champions League:

Group A

Game to be played on Saturday May 11, 2024

Rewa (Fiji) v Auckland City (NZ)
Venue to be confirmed, 2pm (NZT)

Game to be played on Tuesday May 14, 2024

Auckland City (NZ) v Hekari United (PNG)
Venue to be confirmed, 2pm (NZT)

Game to be played on Friday May 17, 2024

Auckland City (NZ) v Solomon Warriors (Solomon Islands)
Venue to be confirmed, 5pm (NZT

Knockout stages

The winners of Group A will play the runners-up of Group B, and the winners of Group B will play the runners-up of Group A in semi-finals to be staged on Saturday May 25, 2024.

The semi-finals will kick off at 1pm (NZT) and 5pm (NZT).

The final will be played at 5pm (NZT) on Tuesday May 28, 2024.

How to watch

All games from the OFC Men’s Champions League will be streamed live and free by FIFA+.

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