FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Sportsbook Soccer

[Tom]

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup gets underway in the United States on Saturday.

Played under a new format, the month-long tournament will now take place once every four years rather than annually.

The competition was previously contested by only seven teams but will now feature 32.

Teams from each of the six international football confederations will be at the Club World Cup: Asia (AFC), Africa (CAF), North and Central America (Concacaf), South America (Conmebol), Oceania (OFC) and Europe (UEFA).

In most cases, winners of the confederations' equivalent to UEFA's Champions League over the four seasons from 2020-21 to 2023-24 have qualified.

In the OFC's case, it is the best-performing winner across the four years.

Group A: Palmeiras, FC Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami
Group B: Paris St-Germain, Atlético Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle Sounders
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica
Group D: Flamengo, Esperance Sportive de Tunisie, Chelsea, Los Angeles FC
Group E: River Plate, Urawa Red Diamonds, Monterrey, Inter Milan
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg

The revamped Club World Cup will run in a similar way to the international men's and women's World Cups.

The 32 teams are divided into eight groups of four, who will play each other once in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group will then go through to the knockout stages.

Unlike the international World Cups, the Club World Cup will have no third-place play-off.

The final will take place on 13 July 2025.

 

[Strawberry Man]

Actually looking forward to this. From being a child, there was always something glamorous and exotic about football from other cultures, far-flung leagues. Starting with the excitement of Gazetta Football Italia in the morning, to unearthing the hidden jewels of South American football.

Back in the day, and still now, the consensus has generally been "what an inconvenience", "no European teams take it seriously", "it doesn't mean anything", etc. Yet to me, I never understood it. I understand the strain back then of European teams fitting this into our calendar. But now look where we are! Strain city. The amount of football, international, club, and continental, played now is insane, and it's not going to diminish anytime soon, is it?

Therefore, I never understood the lack of having a high desire to set foot on a pitch, against the top teams in other regions, with a vast spotlight shining, to show the world who you are and that you're the best. And further, it allows your club to enter the hearts of fans across the world, fosters familiarity and likely assists you in bagging top talent in years to come.

I think having a glitzy expanded Club World Cup every 4 years is a very good thing and an opportunity to build to something special in the off years (not forgetting the financial aspect). And whilst it remains to be seen how it's received, I think FIFA have got this one right, and am looking forward to the mass of coverage and stories to be written in the coming weeks.

 

[Dylan]

Agreed. I'm not sure how good the non-European sides will be, but I'm looking forward to watching them, and it's a great showcase for those teams too.

It's always the same with new things. If you read up on their history, people weren't convinced about the World Cup or European Cup back in the day. The amount of football is crazy, but that doesn't mean this won't be fun.

DAZN is the primary broadcaster in the UK for the Club World Cup, with all games available to watch for free, and some of the coverage shared with Channel 5.

Some extra reading for those interested

FourFourTwo's guide to the Club World Cup

A new 32-team Club World Cup this weekend kicks off when Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami take on Al Ahly of Egypt. After a great deal of scepticism, can it establish itself as one of football’s most prestigious events?

www.fourfourtwo.com

 

[Abomb]

Bayern Munich beat Auckland City 10-0.

Mismatches like that highlight disparities in competitiveness. I'm not saying Auckland don't deserve to be there, I'm not clued up on Australian soccer, but won't their "prize money" for being in the competition set them apart from the other clubs domestically and give them an unfair advantage?

 

[Tom]

It's taken a while, but Borussia Dortmund's 4-3 victory over Mamelodi Sundowns has been the game of the tournament so far, showcasing both individual brilliance and tactical prowess.

Jobe Bellingham not only scored but also exhibited a strong presence in midfield. His goal, characterised by skill and poise, came at a pivotal moment and underscored his ability to influence the game.

Lucas Ribeiro's opening goal was a moment of sheer brilliance. It could be the goal of the tournament.

 

[Tom]

Manchester City delivered a resounding performance against Juventus, winning 5-2 to secure their spot at the top of Group G in the Club World Cup. This match not only marked a significant milestone with Erling Haaland scoring his 300th career goal but also saw Rodri make his first start in nine months following a lengthy injury layoff.

The game started with an early goal from Jeremy Doku, which was quickly equalised by Teun Koopmeiners for Juventus. However, City swiftly regained control, scoring through a Pierre Kalulu own goal, followed by close-range finishes from Haaland and Phil Foden, and a stunning strike from Savinho. Dusan Vlahovic managed to score a late consolation for Juventus.

I'd say this is the best Man City have played in quite some time. They looked good all over the pitch (the exception being Ederson's error for Juve's first goal). It also seems like they have some real depth in the squad, which looked a little thin, stretched, and lacking quality at times last season.

 

[Abomb]

Knockout stage - round of 16​

Saturday, 28 June

Match 49: Palmeiras vs Botafogo - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia; kick off 5pm
Match 50: Benfica vs Chelsea - Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte; kick off 9pm

Sunday, 29 June

Match 51: Paris Saint-Germain vs Inter Miami - Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta; kick off 5pm
Match 52: Flamengo vs Bayern Munich - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami; kick off 9pm

Monday, 30 June

Match 53: Inter Milan vs Fluminense - Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte; kick off 8pm

Tuesday, 31 June

Match 54: Man City vs Al Hilal - Camping World Stadium, Orlando; kick off 2am

Tuesday, 1 July

Match 55: Real Madrid vs Juventus - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami; kick off 8pm

Wednesday, 2 July

Match 56: Borussia Dortmund vs Monterrey - Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta; kick off 2am

 

[Cappuccino Kid]

PSG are coasting against Inter Miami, as expected.

Messi is obviously the one diamond in this Miami team. His passing is still world class.

 

[David76]

Chelsea is well on their way to winning the Club World Cup. They lead Champions League winners, PSG, 3-0 at half-time in the final thanks to a double from Cole Palmer and a goal just before the interval from Joao Pedro.

 

[Black Sheep]

Didn't expect Chelsea to win, tbh. However, they were terrific and thoroughly deserved it.

Man City must be kicking themselves for letting Cole Palmer go. He's going to be a superstar.

I wonder if Chelsea will kick on from this and mount a Premier League title challenge next season.