Bayern Munich kicked off their 2025 FIFA Club World Cup campaign in devastating fashion on Sunday, delivering a crushing 10-0 defeat to New Zealand’s Auckland City at the TQL Stadium in Cincinnati.
The German giants showed their dominance from the outset in the Group C encounter, with Kingsley Coman, Michael Olise, and Thomas Müller all netting twice, while Sacha Boey also got on the scoresheet. Jamal Musiala stole the show in the second half, coming off the bench to score a hat-trick in just 18 minutes, including a penalty.
Despite the presence of Harry Kane in the starting lineup, the England striker didn’t find the net against Auckland City before being substituted just after the hour mark for Musiala.
Speaking after the match, Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany said, “We have to remain modest but it was important to be able to say that we took the game seriously,” he noted.
“It was a good first match at the tournament, but of course challenges are going to grow and it’s going to become more difficult.”
Bayern took control early, with Coman scoring the first goal of the tournament in the sixth minute—following Saturday’s goalless opener between Inter Miami and Al Ahly. Coman added another by the 21st minute, either side of strikes from fellow Frenchmen Boey and Olise.
Veteran forward Müller added Bayern’s fifth, and Olise’s second—an exquisite curling effort into the far corner—made it 6-0 just before halftime.
Auckland City, 13-time Oceania Champions League winners, held out for much of the second half before Musiala’s late blitz, which included a penalty he won himself. Müller rounded off the scoring in the 89th minute with his 250th goal for the club.
“This is the reality of football against one of the world’s top teams,” admitted Auckland City’s interim coach, Ivan Vicelich.
“It is a dream for players coming from an amateur level to play in this environment.
“We knew it was going to be a very difficult game, playing against one of the top teams in the world, potentially one of the favourites for the Club World Cup, so we are just really proud of the players’ efforts,” he said.
The lopsided result underlined the vast gap between elite European competition and Oceania’s best. Auckland City’s players, many of whom are amateurs, had to take unpaid leave to participate in the tournament.
The win marks an ideal start for Bayern, who are aiming for a third Club World Cup title after previous victories in 2013 and 2020. Their 10-goal margin ties their biggest Bundesliga win, an 11-1 demolition of Borussia Dortmund in 1971, though they’ve recorded bigger wins in domestic cup competitions.
New signing Jonathan Tah made his debut in central defence for Bayern following his recent transfer from Bayer Leverkusen.
Next up for Bayern in the Club World Cup is a meeting against South American giants Boca Juniors on Friday in Miami, while Auckland City will look to bounce back against Benfica in Orlando earlier the same day.
