Men’s A-League champions Auckland FC have named Pedro Moreira as their new head coach, replacing Steve Corica.
Moreira (51) arrives after a string of coaching roles in his native Portugal, Ukraine and Italy.
“After an extensive search, Pedro was someone who really stood out for us,” Auckland FC majority owner Bill Foley said.
Bill Foley … believes Moreira is ‘a step above the rest.’
“Off the back of the club’s successful first two seasons, we wanted to maintain that momentum and appoint someone who would come into the league and be a step above the rest. We believe Moriera is that person.
“He’s got a wealth of experience, 15 years at a senior level in Europe, 10 years in youth development roles. Pedro is the guy to keep this team right at the top of the A-League and bring more silverware to the city.”
Main photo: Pedro Moreira … ‘I can’t wait to get started.’ Photo credit: Auckland FC.
Moreira started his coaching career working with Portuguese youth teams.
In 2009, he joined Sporting CP’s youth set-up, supporting the development of several current Portuguese internationals.
Working with manager Paulo Fonseca, the pair joined Portugal’s Futebol Clube Paços de Ferreira in 2012-13.
Moreira became the assistant manager to Fonseca at FC Porto (Portugal), FC Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) and AS Roma (Italy), winning trophies in Portugal and Ukraine.
After spells as manager of Portuguese clubs S.C.U Torreense in 2022 and then Casa Pia A.C, Moreira was more recently in Uzbekistan with Pakhtakor FC, guiding the club to the later stages of the AFC Asian Champions League and at the beginning of their ride to a second-place finish.
Auckland FC say Moreira’s appointment followed an extensive search to replace previous head coach Steve Corica, who left to join Japanese club Yokohama F Marinos in June.
Nick Becker … ‘We knew he was the guy.’
Moreira’s first competitive game in charge will be on August 26 against Al Ahli (Saudi Arabia) in the 2026 FIFA Intercontinental Cup, before the A-League season kicks off in Auckland on October 17.
“Coming in to coach this side in a country that is still developing its love of the beautiful game is a unique opportunity that I can’t wait to get started with,” Moreira said.
“This is a young club, but a highly successful club that has set the bar in terms of performance. It’s already won two trophies alongside the best fans in the league.
“Being able to bring more success here and to continue to develop these exciting young players is something I’m really looking forward to.”
Auckland FC chief executive Nick Becker said fans could feel “confident and assured” going into the new season.
“He (Moreira) has credentials from some of the top clubs in the world, and when his name came up in the coaching search, we knew he was the guy,” Becker said.
“He really impressed us during the interview stage with his tactical knowledge and understanding of our ambition, connection to the city and direction as a club.”
Director of football Terry McFlynn said Moreira had bought into the club’s vision, particularly their focus on youth and developing player pathways.
“Replacing Steve was always going to be a big challenge, but we took our time and now have someone who the club has a lot of confidence in.”
Who is in Pedro Moreira’s backroom staff?
Auckland FC have named a largely new backroom staff to support incoming head coach Pedro Moreira for the upcoming men’s A-League season.
READ MORE: New-look backroom staff named by men’s A-League champions Auckland FC >>>>
This story was first published on July 30, 2026.