6 hours ago
Meet Nathan Lobo, an Overseas Citizen of India, playing in FIFA Club World Cup 2025
The FIFA Club World Cup in the United States has witnessed several chapters: a new expanded format, more Asian and European teams pitted against each other, and an amateur side, Auckland City, locking horns with the elites of club football.
Though the club from New Zealand suffered carnage — a 0-10 loss, the heaviest in the history of the tournament — at the hands of Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich in its opening match, there was a rare silver lining in the wreckage.
Nathan Lobo, a 22-year-old full-back, became the first Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) to play in this Club World Cup.
𝗡𝗔𝗩𝗬 𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗘𝗦 𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞 𝗜𝗡 𝗪𝗔𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗧𝗢𝗡 🇺🇸
Auckland City have travelled to Washington after yesterday's win in Philadelphia and hit the training ground at George Mason University.
We caught up with left-back Nathan Lobo for his thoughts after the… — 🇳🇿 Auckland City FC (@AucklandCity_FC) June 6, 2025
'I know there's a lot of press and public saying that we don't deserve to be here, but we have won our title in Oceania, the equivalent of the European Championship, to get to this tournament. I think we do deserve to be here,' Nathan tells Sportstar.
'Obviously, it's disappointing in the way we lost, but if you take a step back and think about the level we're competing against, it's the top one per cent of footballers in the whole world.'
Managing football with studies
Auckland City is a team made almost entirely of players who have a day job or primary vocation other than football. The goalkeeper, Conor Tracey, is a warehouse supervisor who combined his leaves to play in the Club World Cup against his idol, Manuel Neuer.
'We've got people like Joe (Joseph) Lee, who works for Samsung in technical support. We've got salespeople, real estate agents and a couple of students as well, the younger boys in the team,' Nathan adds.
He is a student too. Having graduated from Auckland University last month in Health Sciences, he is now looking to do his Master's.
'I've grown up in an Indian family. My parents really wanted me to study. But I'm really grateful that they weren't pushing me to study a ridiculous amount. They kind of wanted me to play sports and enjoy as well,' he says.
READ: FIFA Club World Cup: Bayern Munich edges Boca Juniors, advances to knockouts
And he has managed the two virtues well. He has over 100 appearances for Auckland City, winning four Oceania Champions League titles with the side.
Nathan Lobo greets Karim Benzema before a FIFA Club World Cup match in 2023. | Photo Credit: Instagram/Lobz45
'Trying to balance football and studies is incredibly difficult, especially with the subjects that I have taken. I start early, driving to the train station and commuting into the city. Most days I'm at the university from 8 a.m. until evening,' Nathan explains.
'And then I'm straight back on the train, go to the car, then to training in the evening. I finish my day at about 8.30, get home, shower, eat dinner, and do it all again the next day.'
The India connection
Nathan's parents are from two separate parts of India. His father, Richard Nathan, hails from Mangalore, while his mother, Anthea, has Goan heritage.
'My dad used to work on the cruise ships, in the hotel industry, and so did my mom. They both grew up in Mumbai and decided to either move to Australia or New Zealand, back in 2000 or 2001, and I was born in 2002,' Nathan says.
Though he grew up in New Zealand, the family visits Mumbai once every one or two years.
'The only family I have in New Zealand is my immediate family. So, my cousins and grandparents are all in India. We recently went there in December. You miss them, and, in Indian culture, family is really important,' Nathan adds.
ALSO READ: FIFA Club World Cup: Benfica cruises past Auckland in weather-delayed encounter
And during one of the darkest times of his life, this second home of Nathan, thousands of miles away from New Zealand, became a beacon of light for him.
'When I was 14, I broke my ankle, and I thought it was the end of the world because it was a week before the national tournaments (in 2016). I was pretty devastated. I ended up spending the summer in India,' Nathan says.
'I just remember being in a lot of pain because I had an operation and three screws in my (left) ankle. So, I had a lot of painkillers. But I did get to just spend time with my grandparents and get closer to them. Friends and family do help you get through times like this.'
Within nine months, Nathan recovered and then won the Under-16 Oceania Championship with New Zealand. He would go on to represent the U-23 side, helping it reach consecutive Olympic Games.
New Zealand celebrates winning the U16 Oceania Championship in 2018. | Photo Credit: Instagram/Lobz45
To play or not to play for India
Nathan is not the first player with Indian parents to progress through the national team set-up of the All Whites.
Sarpreet Singh, a midfielder born to Indian parents, rose through the age-group sides of New Zealand, playing U-20 and U-23, before securing a spot in the senior team. Next year, he will be the first player of Indian origin (immediate lineage) to play in the FIFA World Cup.
Overseas citizens of India or players of Indian origin are currently not allowed to play for the country. However, several Asian countries, Thailand, Qatar and Australia, to name a few, have benefited from not having such a rule.
To play for the tricolour, one has to give up the passport of their native country and stay in India for 12 months to then apply for an Indian passport. But according to the All India Football Federation (AIFF), talks are underway to make the provisions more flexible for OCIs.
'We are in communication with 33 players who fall into the category of OCI. Some of them have OCI cards, and some of them are in the process of applying. We are assisting them in this process,' Kalyan Chaubey, the president of the AIFF, said in a press conference on June 13.
Kalyan Chaubey, president of the AIFF, has maintained that talks are underway to make the provisions more flexible for OCIs. | Photo Credit: Biswaranjan Rout/The Hindu
Unlike Sarpreet, who has already played 19 times for the senior team, Nathan still has a chance to represent India as he has only played till the U-23 level.
According to FIFA, a player can switch allegiance to a new country if they have not played at the senior level. This provision most recently saw Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury switch his allegiance to Bangladesh, despite playing for England at the U-21 level.
'You can never say never. I have an OCI (card), and you can never say what can happen in the future. Currently, my focus is on New Zealand and trying to make it to its national team,' Nathan says.
NathanLobo helped the U23 New Zealand team qualify for Paris 2024 Olympics. | Photo Credit: Instagram/Lobz45
Irrespective of what happens internationally, Nathan is living the moment of his life in the United States. 'I don't think I ever thought I would be playing Bayern Munich. So, it's a real dream come true,' he says.
'After the game, when you're a bit disappointed with the result, but then you think about that little boy that you were 17 years ago. I think he'd be really proud.'
