Electrochemical carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction (ECO2R) offers a promising pathway for integrating renewable electricity with CO2 utilisation and closure of the anthropogenic carbon cycle. However, ECO2R cells utilising conventional aqueous electrolyte medium (alkaline, neutral and acidic) are hindered by salt precipitation, carbonate crossover and low CO2 utilisation. Transitioning into a zero-gap, acidic gas-fed configuration may overcome these issues but introduces competitive hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) due to lack of interfacial cation stabilisation. Furthermore, it was observed that unmanaged water condensation within the cathode gas diffusion electrode (GDE) as a factor in mass transport limitations, where liquid water obstructs CO2 pathways and accelerate proton reduction despite the gas-fed environment. Hence, this study investigates the impact of hydrophobic tuning within the GDE structure - specifically the macroporous layer (MPL) where the catalyst is deposited on and the diffusion channels to regulate water flux. Current findings demonstrate that optimising these hydrophobic gradients suppresses HER while enhancing CO2 selectivity at active sites. This can provide a scalable framework for a scalable, zero gap ECO2R cell.