From an idea to a title in 970 days: How Auckland FC made Kiwi football history

Monday, 25 May 2026

Auckland FC are A-League Men champions – going from an idea to a title in less than 1000 days.

Midfielder Cam Howieson scored the goal that gave them a 1-0 win over Sydney FC in Saturday evening’s grand final at Go Media Stadium.

After partying privately through the night, they emerged for a bus parade down Queen St and a celebration with fans at lunchtime on Sunday.

This is how New Zealand’s first A-Leagues championship unfolded.

972 days ago

Stuff breaks the news that American billionaire Bill Foley – the owner of English Premier League club AFC Bournemouth and the Las Vegas Golden Knights ice hockey franchise – has become the leading contender to set up an A-League Men club in Auckland, adding to his hospitality and wine interests in New Zealand.

917 days ago

The new Auckland club’s entry into A-League Men from the 2024-25 season is confirmed at an event at Somm, a waterfront wine bar that is part of the Foley Hospitality Group, with Foley and newly-appointed chief executive Nick Becker in attendance.

886 days ago

Less than a month after his former Sydney FC team-mate Terry McFlynn was appointed as the club’s director of football, Steve Corica is appointed as their first head coach, on a three-year contract. His 19-year association with Sydney, as a player – where he won two championships – youth coach, assistant coach and head coach – where he won two more – had only ended when he was sacked 44 days previously.

802 days ago

Auckland FC is confirmed as the name of the new club and black and blue are confirmed as their colours at an event at the Chamberlain (soon to be rebranded as Tyler St), another Foley property. Their first home kit is also revealed and former All Black Ali Williams and wife Anna Mowbray are confirmed as co-owners.

725 days ago

Auckland unveil four inaugural signings – All Whites Francis de Vries, Cam Howieson and Michael Woud and age-group international Jesse Randall, who is days away from earning his first senior international cap. All four would go on to play key roles in their championship win.

669 days ago

Japanese international Hiroki Sakai – a veteran of three World Cups – is announced as Auckland’s first visa signing. With experience in Germany and France as well as his home country, his presence gives the fledgling club instant credibility.

663 days ago

Auckland play their first pre-season friendly against Northern League club Auckland United at Keith Hay Park. All Whites veteran Tommy Smith captains a youthful side still missing many of its inaugural playing squad to a 2-2 draw, with Max Mata and Luis Toomey scoring the goals.

583 days ago

Auckland beat Brisbane Roar 2-0 in front of 24,492 fans at Go Media Stadium in their first A-League Men match, with their active supporters, The Port, creating an atmosphere as good as any in the competition. An own goal from Harry van der Saag gives them a first-half lead before Logan Rogerson seals the win late on, hugging coach Corica in celebration. A few days prior, Foley predicts a championship “within three years, for sure”.

569 days ago

The hotly-anticipated first New Zealand derby meeting between Auckland and the Phoenix ends in unfortunate circumstances for the home team at Hnry Stadium, as Jake Brimmer pounces on a goalkeeper error to put the visitors in front in the 89th minute, then adds a second in stoppage time. Auckland celebrate with a billboard outside the venue saying ‘Welcome to Ellington’ – because they’ve taken the ‘W’ back to Auckland.

393 days ago

Auckland cap a dominant first regular season in A-League Men by lifting the Premiers’ Plate after a 1-0 win at home over Perth Glory. Their first-place finish was confirmed the night before, when Melbourne City failed to beat Adelaide United, and came after they began the season with six wins and a draw, then went on a 14-match unbeaten run after a slight wobble in December and January.

366 days ago

Auckland lose 2-0 against Melbourne Victory in the home leg of their semifinal, a week after winning 1-0 at AAMI Park thanks to a goal from Rogerson. In front of a 29,14-strong crowd, Auckland never really click into gear and are left fuming about the decision to rule out a Rogerson goal, with Guillermo May’s cross deemed to have gone out for a goal kick on the field and replays offering no definitive answer.

268 days ago

Auckland make their ambitions clear at the start of their second season – they’re chasing three trophies, as they enter the Australia Cup for the first, and what turns out to be the last, time. But after wins over Australian second-tier clubs Gold Coast Knights and South Melbourne FC and a penalty shootout win over Sydney, they are stunned by second-tier side Heidelberg United in the semifinals.

198 days ago

After winning all three derbies in season one, Auckland score within 27 seconds in their second visit to the capital, as breakout star Randall finds new English striker Sam Cosgrove, who later adds a second to make it 2-1, then survive red cards to Dan Hall and Rogerson to make it four wins from four against the Phoenix.

114 days ago

The low point in Auckland’s second season comes at the end of January, when they lose away to Perth Glory for the second year in a row, in a match where centre back Nando Pijnaker and goalkeeper Oli Sail – in his first start after replacing dropped stopper Woud – both suffer injuries. The loss is Auckland’s third in a month where they only won one of six matches.

93 days ago

Auckland make it six derby wins out of six with a 5-0 romp over the Phoenix at Hnry Stadium that starts when Wellington goalkeeper Josh Oluwayemi heads the ball into his own net from outside his penalty area. Phoenix coach Giancarlo Italiano resigns in his post-match press conference, getting ahead of an expected sacking. Wellington product Jesse Randall scores two for Auckland at a stadium where he used to watch the Phoenix as a fan.

72 days ago

Auckland’s rebound from their January low point reaches a high point when they beat the table-topping Newcastle Jets 2-1 at their McDonald Jones Stadium home to end their unbeaten run at 10 matches and move within a point of them with five rounds to go. Little does anyone know Auckland won’t win again inside 90 minutes for over two months, relinquishing the Premiers’ Plate to the Jets in the process.

29 days ago

Auckland fall from second to third with what was almost the final kick of the regular season – the one that gives Adelaide a 2-1 win over City hours after Auckland draw 2-2 away to Sydney. The upshot is that instead of having a week off to start the finals series, they suddenly have a home elimination final against City and just five days to prepare.

23 days ago

Auckland recover from conceding a 94th-minute equaliser to beat City 7-6 in a dramatic penalty shootout, where Woud makes the only save and Dan Hall slots the decisive spot kick. After weeks of frustration, Auckland look like a changed team the moment Hall’s penalty goes in.

16 days ago

Auckland draw 1-1 with Adelaide United in the home leg of their semifinal, where Guillermo May suffers a season-ending ankle injury and Howieson is forced from the field in the second half after being poked in the eye. Corica insists it is a positive result for his side as they head to Adelaide, where their hosts are on a nine-match unbeaten run on Friday nights.

10 days ago

Motivated by the sense they have been written off, Auckland turn in one of the most dominant performance in their short history, winning 3-0 with Woud only having to make one save. Jake Girdwood-Reich, Cosgrove – from the penalty spot – and Rogerson score as Auckland advance one step further than they did in their first season.

Nine days ago

Sydney FC recover from conceding a 96th-minute equaliser to beat the Jets in a shootout, handing Auckland hosting rights for the grand final – the first time the fixture has ever been played in New Zealand. Tickets sell out within minutes of going on public sale two days later.

Two days ago

Howieson scores a goal that will live long in the memory, even though it was reflective of a scrappy match, taking a deflection off a Sydney defender that left their goalkeeper stranded going the wrong way. Auckland beat Sydney 1-0 to win the championship in their second season – the fastest any expansion side has. Some 58 matches after hugging Corica upon sealing Auckland’s first win, Rogerson leads an invasion of the post-match press conference, where Corica and player of the match Howieson are drenched in beer and champagne.

One day ago

Auckland’s party stretches from Saturday night into Sunday morning, then moves to an open-top bus for a ride down Queen St, where a couple of thousand fans swing in behind, then join them for a celebration in Takutai Square, where dozens get the chance to hang the ‘toilet seat’ trophy around their necks, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

What they said

Steve Corica: “I knew the moment we beat Melbourne City [in the elimination final] that we were going to go all the way. I felt it. I could see the belief in these boys and how much hard work they needed to put into that game and I knew that was going to stand us in good stead moving forward”.

Hiroki Sakai: “I love this club. I love this city. Up The Port”.

Cam Howieson: “Finals don't have to be pretty. We're champions. How good.'

Sam Cosgrove: 'We're in a bit of a bubble over in Europe, we think that we’re the centre of football … you don't realise how much football spreads across the globe. To come down here and to see a full city get behind us and a country as well, in the end, we've done every single person proud, and we're incredibly proud of them for backing us all the way as well“.