New Zealand Derby (football)
First ever New Zealand Derby on 2 November 2024 at Sky Stadium, Wellington. | |
| Location | Auckland Wellington |
|---|---|
| Teams | Auckland FC Wellington Phoenix |
| First meeting | 2 November 2024 A-League Men Wellington Phoenix 0–2 Auckland FC |
| Latest meeting | 6 December 2025 A-League Men Auckland FC 3–1 Wellington Phoenix |
| Next meeting | 21 February 2026 A-League Men Wellington Phoenix v Auckland FC |
| Stadiums | Mount Smart Stadium (Auckland) Sky Stadium (Wellington) |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 5 |
| Most wins | Auckland FC (5) |
| All-time series | Auckland FC: 5 Drawn: 0 Wellington Phoenix: 0 |
| Largest victory | Auckland FC 6–1 Wellington Phoenix A-League Men (22 February 2025) |
Auckland FC Wellington Phoenix | |
The New Zealand Derby (Māori: Mai te Raki ki te Tonga),[1] also known as the Kiwi Clásico, or Kiwi Derby[2] is a local football derby in the A-League Men, Australia's top soccer league, between the two New Zealand-based clubs in the league: Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix.
Name
The New Zealand derby has the nickname of the Kiwi-Clásico. The nickname is derived from El Clásico, the rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spain, one of the largest sporting rivalries in the world. The name was officially announced by the A-Leagues prior to the kickoff of the 2024–25 A-League Men season, the first season since Auckland FC were founded in 2024.[3] However, the rivalry is more commonly referred to as the New Zealand Derby, especially in New Zealand.
History
The first meeting of the two clubs was on 2 November 2024, at Sky Stadium in Wellington in Round 3 of the 2024–25 season. The match was played in front of 26,252 spectators in attendance. the match would finish in a 2–0 win for Auckland, thanks to a clean sheet from former Wellington player Alex Paulsen and goals by Jake Brimmer in the 89th minute and the 90+6th minute.[4][5] To celebrate their win, after the match Auckland hired a digital billboard outside Sky Stadium, which read "Welcome to Ellington. We took the W back to Auckland".[6] The second match was played at Go Media Stadium in front of a crowd of 26,253 and ended 2–1 to Auckland. It was this game where Auckland conceded their first ever competitive goal, scored by Kosta Barbarouses. In their third meeting, also at Go Media Stadium, Auckland triumphed again with their largest winning margin against any team to date, 6–1, including the club's first hattrick, scored by Neyder Moreno.
Results
| Competition | # | Date | Home team | Score | Away team | Goals (Wellington) | Goals (Auckland) | Venue | Attendance | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 A-League Men | 1 | 2 November 2024 | Wellington | 0–2 | Auckland | — | Brimmer (2) 88', 90+6' | Sky Stadium | 26,252 | [7][8] |
| 2 | 7 December 2024 | Auckland | 2–1 | Wellington | Barbarouses 82' | Hughes 31' (o.g.), Pijnaker 70' | Mount Smart Stadium | 26,253 | [9][10] | |
| 3 | 22 February 2025 | Auckland | 6–1 | Wellington | Brooke-Smith 49' | Moreno (2) 31', 60', Rogerson (3) 36', 40', 80', Randall 90+3' | Mount Smart Stadium | 27,009 | [11] | |
| 2025–26 A-League Men | 4 | 8 November 2025 | Wellington | 1–2 | Auckland | Eze 9' | Cosgrove (2) 1', 34' | Sky Stadium | 12,091 | [12] |
| 5 | 6 December 2025 | Auckland | 3–1 | Wellington | Rufer 55' | Brook 7', De Vries 72', May 80' | Mount Smart Stadium | 21,997 | [13] | |
| 6 | 21 February 2026 | Wellington | Auckland | Sky Stadium | [14] |
Reserve team results
| Competition | # | Date | Home team | Score | Away team | Goals (Wellington) | Goals (Auckland) | Venue | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 National League | 1 | 4 October 2025 | Auckland | 2–1 | Wellington | Gardiner 16' | Nabenu 6', Burns 74' | Fred Taylor Park | [15] |
Head-to-head
- As of 6 December 2025
| Competition | Matches | Auckland wins | Draws | Wellington wins | Auckland goals | Wellington goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-League Men regular season | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 4 |
| A-League Men Finals Series | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Australia Cup | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| All matches | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 4 |
Players who have played for both teams
Below are the players who have played for both Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix.[16]
Currently no players have played for Auckland before Wellington.
Wellington, then Auckland
| Player | Pos. | Wellington tenure | Auckland tenure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Paulsen | GK | 2021–2024 | 2024–2025 |
| Scott Galloway | DF | 2017–2018 | 2024–2025 |
| Logan Rogerson | FW | 2016–2018 | 2024–present |
| Callan Elliot | DF | 2018–2020, 2021–2023 | 2024–present |
Records
- Biggest win: 5 goals; Auckland 6–1 Wellington (22 February 2025).
- Most goals scored: 7; Auckland 6–1 Wellington (22 February 2025).
- Most consecutive wins: 5, Auckland (2 November 2024 – 6 December 2025; ongoing).
- Highest attendance: 27,009 at Mount Smart Stadium (Auckland 6–1 Wellington; 22 February 2025).[17]
- Average attendance: 22,720.
- Lowest attendance: 12,091 at Sky Stadium (Wellington 1–2 Auckland; 8 November 2025).[12]
Statistics
- As of 6 December 2025
Players
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Logan Rogerson | Auckland | 3 |
| 2 | Jake Brimmer | Auckland | 2 |
| Sam Cosgrove | Auckland | ||
| Neyder Moreno | Auckland | ||
| 5 | Kosta Barbarouses | Wellington | 1 |
| Luke Brooke-Smith | Wellington | ||
| Lachlan Brook | Auckland | ||
| Francis de Vries | Auckland | ||
| Ifeanyi Eze | Wellington | ||
| Guillermo May | Auckland | ||
| Nando Pijnaker | Auckland | ||
| Jesse Randall | Auckland | ||
| Alex Rufer | Wellington |
Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Period | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Paulsen | Auckland | 2024–2025 | 1 |
Hat-tricks
One player has scored a hat-trick in official New Zealand Derby matches.
| No. | Player | For | Score | Date | Competition | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Logan Rogerson | Auckland | 6–1 (H) | 22 February 2025 | 2024–25 A-League Men | Mount Smart Stadium |
Managers
Most appearances
| Rank | Manager | Team | Matches | Years | Competition(s) (matches) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steve Corica | Auckland | 5 | 2024–present | A-League Men (5) |
| Giancarlo Italiano | Wellington | 5 | 2024–present | A-League Men (5) |
Most wins
| Rank | Manager | Club | Period | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steve Corica | Auckland | 2024–present | 5 |
References
- ^ "The derby has a name and there's something extra to play for". Wellington Phoenix. 2 November 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ Pisani, Sacha (29 October 2024). "Six acts that have ignited world football's newest rivalry ahead of kick off this weekend". Australian Professional Leagues. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ "The A-Leagues' newest derby has an amazing new nickname". Australian Professional Leagues. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
- ^ Burgess, Michael (2024-11-01). "Auckland FC claim first derby over Phoenix in front of record crowd". NZ Herald. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- ^ Comito, Matthew (2024-11-02). "Auckland coach dedicates NZ Derby win to hero-turned-villain in Wellington". A-Leagues. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- ^ Rollo, Phillip (3 November 2024). "'We took the W': Auckland FC has last laugh as football derby delivers on and off the pitch". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
- ^ "Wellington Phoenix 0–2 Auckland FC". Australian Professional Leagues. 2 November 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
- ^ Rollo, Phillip (2 November 2024). "Wellington Phoenix goalkeeper's costly blunder hands Auckland FC victory in first New Zealand derby". Stuff. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ "Auckland FC 2–1 Wellington Phoenix". Australian Professional Leagues. 7 December 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
- ^ Burgess, Michael (7 December 2024). "Auckland FC v Wellington Phoenix result: Black Knights take bragging rights in Kiwi derby". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ "Auckland FC 6–1 Wellington Phoenix". Australian Professional Leagues. 22 February 2025. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
- ^ a b "Wellington Phoenix v Auckland FC". Australian Professional Leagues. 8 November 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "Auckland FC v Wellington Phoenix". Australian Professional Leagues. 6 December 2025. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
- ^ "Wellington Phoenix v Auckland FC". Australian Professional Leagues.
- ^ "Auckland FC Reserves 2–1 Wellington Phoenix Reserves". New Zealand Football. 4 October 2025. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
- ^ "Player Statistics". ALeagueStats.com. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Auckland FC vs Wellington Phoenix. Round 20, 2024–25 :". Ultimate A-League. Retrieved 25 February 2025.