Ladies and gentlemen, New Zealand’s inaugural professional football derby is almost here and tickets are on sale now for the A-Leagues blockbuster.
The derby between Wellington Phoenix and Isuzu UTE A-League debutants Auckland FC has been dubbed the ‘Kiwi Clasico’ as the pair prepare to do battle in November.
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“I’ll never forget the buzz at Sky Stadium for our semi-final last season and I’m sure the fans won’t have either,” said head coach Giancarlo Italiano, who guided the Phoenix to an historic Semi-Final run last term.
“I want to experience that kind of feeling again so I need Wellingtonians to pack out the stadium and sing for the whole 90 minutes.
“It’s great to have a local derby and I can’t wait to see you all at the Kiwi Clasico in November.”
BUY TICKETS TO THE KIWI CLASICO
Both teams have been active in the off-season as the Phoenix and Auckland prepare for Round 1 of the new campaign.
The Phoenix farewelled Alex Paulsen (AFC Bournemouth), Nicholas Pennington (Perth Glory), Oskar Zawada, Jack Duncan (Melbourne Victory), Ben Old (Saint-Etienne), Bozhidar Kraev (Western Sydney Wanderers) and Finn Surman (Portland Timbers).
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But Wellington have recruited Marco Rojas, Paulo Retre, Luke Brooke-Smith, Josh Oluwayemi, Kazuki Nagasawa, Dublin Boon (scholarship contract) and Hideki Ishige, while re-signing Kosta Barbarouses.
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Expansion club Auckland FC – led by Sydney FC legend Steve Corica – have signed 22 players so far.
Cameron Howieson, Michael Woud, Francis De Vries, Jesse Randall, Max Mata, Tommy Smith, Luis Toomey (scholarship contract), Liam Gillion (scholarship contract), Finn Mckenlay (scholarship contract), Adama Coulibaly (scholarship contract), Oliver Middleton (scholarship contract), Jonty Bidois (scholarship contract), Dan Hall, Scott Galloway, Callan Elliot, Joey Champness, Jake Brimmer, Hiroki Sakai, Logan Rogerson, Joseph Knowles, Alex Paulsen (on loan from Bournemouth) and Nando Pijnaker have all arrived.
Auckland are set to have a women’s team in the Liberty A-League from 2025-26.
