Trinity and Dublin University Association Football Club (DUAFC) alumni Aymen Ben Mohamed and and Dylan Connolly took on some of the biggest teams in expanded 32-team the FIFA Club World Cup which is taking place in June and July 2025. A former Trinity Sport scholar, Dylan works as a physio and is an amateur player for New Zealand’s most successful club, Auckland City. Aymen played for DUAFC while studying business in Trinity College and was a Collingwood Cup finalist with Trinity in 2015 but lost to UCC and has played for Tunisia's top professional football team Espérance since 2016. Auckland City were drawn in Group C against Bayern Munich, Boca Juniors and Benfica while Espérance was drawn in Group D against Flamengo, Chelsea and Los Angeles FC.
Dylan Connolly playing for DUAFC. Credit: Alex Connolly, The University Times.
Auckland City's first-stage matches began with a 10-0 defeat against Bayern Munich in Cincinnati on 15 June followed by a 6-0 loss against SL Benfica in Orlando a few days later on 20 June. Dylan remained on the subs' bench for both matches but soon he and his teams fortunes would change. On 24 June, Auckland City were up against the world-famous Boca Juniors in Nashville with the team of part-times coming away with an "astonishing" 1-1 draw in "one the most remarkable results ... at this Club World Cup." The Auckland City goal was scored by a superb header from schoolteacher Christian Gray at 52 minutes. Dylan came off the subs' bench at 54 minutes and played for the remainder of the second half. Auckland City and Dylan's Club World Cup campaign has come to an end, but they will return home with their heads held high.
Dylan Connolly goes up against Boca Juniors' Malcom Braida in Auckland City's dramatic 1-1 draw at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Meanwhile, Espérance's tournament began with a 0-2 loss against Flamengo in Philadelphia on 17 June before turning things around with a 1-0 win against Los Angeles FC a few days later on 20 June. Unfortunately, Espérance's FIFA Club World Cup's dreams ended with a 0-3 loss against Chelsea in Philadelphia in 25 June. Aymen remained on the substitutes' bench for all three matches.
Speaking to the BBC ahead of the Flamengo match, Aymen Ben Mohamed said: "Of course everyone is very excited about the opportunity. It's massive - you don't always get the chance to play against world class teams. We're all looking forward to it and obviously we will be facing very high-level opposition so we're hoping just to go there and give a good account of ourselves, to test ourselves against some amazing sides."