Club World Cup 2025: Your group-by-group guide to the tournament | OneFootball

First of all, as a companion to this group preview, let me point you towards Mike Norman's outstanding Club World Cup guide. It's packed with all the dates, fixtures and advice you could need and it has much, much more besides. Now, this is a long old piece, so get yourself a cuppa and a biscuit (maybe two), and let's begin.

GROUP A - Messi and company face battle to qualify

FIFA jumped through rather unedifying hoops to make sure that Lionel Messi and by extension Inter Miami could feature in this tournament (Inter in theory got a spot by virtue of winning the MLS Supporters' Shield, even though they then failed in the playoffs) , but escaping Group A could prove a stiff challenge.

Messi is of course the central figure, and most of Inter's play goes through the living legend. His former Barca colleagues Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez are all still performing at a decent level (Suarez has 12 goal involvements in 13 MLS games this term), but the team struggles defensively, especially when opponents play through their high press.

Under Messi's former club and international teammate Javier Mascherano, the team has recovered in MLS after a really sticky start, and if they can win the tournament opener on home soil against Al Ahly, they are in with a shot of making the last 16. However, the quality of opponents Inter Miami will face in the group is pretty high, and their price of 1/1 to qualify seems about right.

Egyptian champions Al Ahly have won three straight domestic titles, and they have been African Champions League winners in four of the last six seasons. Danish-born Palestine striker Wessam Abou Ali is an excellent finisher who has been scoring in volume.

Brazilian giants Palmeiras reached the Club World Cup final just three years ago, and they have truly blossomed under Portuguese coach Abel Ferreira. The 46-year-old has delivered two league titles, two Copa Libertadores successes and a clutch of other trophies. They have won seven of their first 11 league games of the new season.

Palmeiras are packed with talent. Teenage winger Estevao is a superstar in the making, and will be off to Chelsea sooner rather than later. 20-year-old striker Vitor Roque had an ill-fated spell at Barcelona, but still has plenty of potential.

The group favourites are Portuguese giants Porto, but they have just had a deeply disappointing season. The loss of long-serving coach Sergio Conceicao proved disruptive, as his former assistant Vitor Bruno lasted six months. 39-year-old Martin Anselmi developed a fine reputation in Mexican football, but next season he must get closer to fellow big hitters Sporting and Benfica.

Porto are used to selling players, but Evanilson, Galeno, Francisco Conceicao and Nico Gonzalez all left in quick succession, and the loss of veteran defender Pepe was a major blow.

I'm more attracted to the 15/8 on offer for Palmeiras to win the group than Porto's 13/10.

Group B - PSG on a high and worth supporting

Having finally secured the moniker of European champions, PSG are full of confidence and are targeting yet more silverware. Luis Enrique's all-conquering side have already won Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and the Champions League, and their squad strength makes them genuine contenders to win the tournament at 5/1.

At time of writing Paris have no key injuries, and they have incredible depth, with Bradley Barcola, Luis Hernandez and Warren Zaire-Emery all luxury reserves. The Qatari hierarchy finally twigged that you need to give a coach authority over his players, and Luis Enrique used that mandate to full effect.

You could back PSG to win the tournament outright at 5/1, and that's a sensible play, but I really like the 6/5 on offer for them just to reach the semi-finals. They'll face a team from Group A in the last 16, and there's not much to scare them there. They could then potentially run into Bayern in the quarter-finals, but I would suggest PSG are in far better shape than Bayern at the moment.

Atletico Madrid had a season of close-but-no-cigar moments. The famed double-touch penalty from Julian Alvarez was the overriding memory from what was probably an unjust Champions League exit to Real Madrid, and Diego Simeone's men fell away in the La Liga title race.

Atleti are well set up to have a good crack at this tournament though. Lavishly gifted veteran Antoine Griezmann has just agreed a new contract, Alexander "The Hitman" Sorloth has proven to be a deadly substitute, and Julian Alvarez is justifying his big transfer fee. Anything less than qualification for the last 16 would be a nasty surprise, and this is a great chance for Atletico to build their brand, with Barcelona kicking their heels at home.

After winning the Brazilian title and the Copa Libertadores, Botafogo deserve huge respect, but there have been significant departures since those triumphs. Portuguese coach Artur Jorge has been lured to Qatar, while star players Thiago Almada (Lyon) and Luiz Henrique (Zenit) have also gone. Watch out for Brazil striker Igor Jesus, a quick and strong rising star who will join Nottingham Forest after the tournament.

Seattle Sounders were CONCACAF champions in 2022, and have been MLS champions twice in the last decade. They'll have the benefit of playing their games on home soil, but they've been dealt a nightmare of a group, and their price of 16/5 to qualify is fair.

Group C - After blows on and off pitch, can Bayern regain their swagger?

It's been a mixed 2025 for Bayern Munich. They reclaimed their Bundesliga crown with room to spare, but were dumped out of the Champions League by Inter at the quarter-final stage. Then came a big defeat off the field, as it became clear that a much-anticipated summer move for Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz wasn't going to happen, and that the German international preferred a switch to Liverpool instead. The finger-pointing, wailing and gnashing of teeth is well underway in Bavaria.

The acquisition of centre-back Jonathan Tah from Leverkusen gives Bayern much-needed defensive depth, with Min-Jae Kim and Dayot Upamecano rather run into the ground last term. Harry Kane has been the Bundesliga's top scorer in back-to-back seasons, and is priced at 8/1 to top the Club World Cup scoring charts.

Bayern should win their group with room to spare, and it's worth consistently keeping an eye on Michael Olise's prices in the goalscorer and assist markets. The former Crystal Palace star has had a stellar first season in Germany, with 17 goals and 17 assists across the Bundesliga and Champions League.

The real intrigue in this group could come from the opening set of games, as Benfica face Argentinean superclub Boca Juniors. Bruno Lage's Benfica were pipped by Lisbon rivals Sporting in both the league and the cup in Portugal, while Boca finished a lowly sixth in the Argentinean top flight last year and were underwhelming in the Copa Libertadores.

Your view on whether Boca should be backed at evens to qualify probably depends on how you think they'll do against Benfica, and it's worth remembering the Portuguese side have Vangelis Pavlidis, Kerem Akturkoglu and Angel Di Maria at their disposal, with the latter leaving the club after the tournament.

New Zealanders Auckland City are the best team in Oceania (winners of the OFC Champions League four years' running), and deserve their spot. However, this is a huge leap, and their Club World Cup record features just three wins in 17 games.

Group D - Chelsea in fine form ahead of CWC push

Although it was something of a rollercoaster ride, Chelsea did manage to tick off their major objectives this season. A Champions League spot was nailed down on the final day with a hard-fought win at Nottingham Forest, and in the Conference League final Enzo Maresca's men fought back from a half-time deficit to smash Betis 4-1.

Chelsea's squad depth should get them through the group stage at least, but there are too many question marks to take them seriously as potential tournament winners, even at 9/1. First-choice keeper Robert Sanchez is far from reliable, and after starting 36 of 38 Premier League games, is Cole Palmer fresh enough to make an impact? He is a wonderful player who dominated the second half of the UECL final, but in the long term Chelsea have to find a way to lighten the load.

Chelsea will encounter a familiar face when they face Brazilian side Flamengo, as they are coached by former Blues full-back Filipe Luis. The former Brazil defender won the Copa do Brasil last year, and the team is going well in Serie A. Uruguayan playmaker Giorgian de Arrascaeta remains the creative heartbeat of the team, with nine goals and four assists in just nine league appearances this term.

LAFC were late qualifiers for the event, as they beat Mexicans Club America and won the right to replace Leon, who had fallen foul of multi-club ownership rules. LAFC boast a prolific goalscorer in former Saint Etienne forward Denis Bouanga, while there is plenty of experience on offer from French World Cup winners Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud. The domestic form has been underwhelming, with just six wins in the first 15 MLS games of the new season.

Tunisians Esperance are domestically dominant, but they haven't won a continental title since 2019, so they aren't expected to make much of a splash in a tough group. A series of coaching changes haven't exactly helped in terms of stability and continuity.

Group E - Can demoralised Inter hit the ground running?

Football is full of sliding doors moments, and Inter were on the wrong end of pretty much all of them at the end of this season. Had they not collapsed in the Italian title race and handed the Scudetto to Napoli, maybe they would have been in better shape mentally to deal with PSG in the Champions League final. Had they competed better in Munich, rather than being thumped 5-0, could coach Simone Inzaghi have been persuaded to stay?

As it is, Inter have won nothing this season, and Inzaghi has been replaced by the inexperienced Christian Chivu. The Romanian has credit in the bank with Inter fans - he was part of the treble-winning side under Jose Mourinho, and has coached Inter at youth level - but he has only had 13 games as a senior coach with Parma.

Inter still have lots of quality. Yann Sommer is an excellent keeper, Alessandro Bastoni is a centre-back that would stride into most elite teams, and the front two of Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram is very effective when it gets the right service. Indeed, Martinez could be an attractive each-way option at 22/1 in the Top Goalscorer market - he scored 25 goals for club and country this season.

River Plate have been boosted by the return of popular coach Marcelo Gallardo (he is one of the few coaches to lead a club that has already put up a statue of him outside their ground), and they have only lost one of their first 15 games of the new league season in Argentina. River also went unbeaten in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores.

River have splashed the cash on quality players like Sebastian Driussi, Lucas Martinez Quarta and World Cup winner Gonzalo Montiel, and if they can retain Real Madrid target Franco Mastantuono for this tournament (the 18-year-old playmaker is one of the most exciting young stars outside Europa), then they are worth backing to pip a jaded Inter to top spot in this group at 5/2.

Urawa Red Diamonds qualified based on their consistency in the Asian Champions League (they have won it three times, the last of which was in 2022), but they finished a dismal 13th in last season's J-League. This season has been better, but they are still well off the title pace.

There's an intriguing Spanish contingent at Mexican side Monterrey, with Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos alongside Oliver Torres and Sergio Canales. The new coach is also Spanish, because Domenec Torrent has recently replaced Martin Demichelis. Pep Guardiola's former assistant has a mixed record as a head coach - he probably exceeded expectations at New York City FC and Atletico San Luis, but failed at Flamengo and Galatasaray.

At 7/2 just to qualify, Monterrey are worth considering as an outside bet to cause an upset, but can Torrent get his Guardiola-style ideas across in time?

Group F - Dortmund peaking at just the right time

Borussia Dortmund are a strange old beast. They feebly limped through the first half of the Bundesliga season under coach Nuri Sahin, but then taskmaster Niko Kovac whipped them into shape, and they nailed down Champions League qualification on the final day of the campaign. Not only that, but BVB gave mighty Barcelona a run for their money in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Serhou Guirassy was the joint-top scorer in that competition, and has been a goal machine across the last two seasons for Dortmund and Stuttgart. He is a classic penalty-box predator, and at 18/1 he's worth backing in the Top Goalscorer market, as he may well be in the running after feasting in the group stage.

While they can often lose concentration in the Bundesliga, this is the kind of big occasion that actually sparks Dortmund into life. Fitness-obsessed Kovac has coached Croatia at a World Cup finals, so he knows how this type of tournament works, and while the group isn't full of pushovers, BVB should come through comfortably. With a team from Group E on the horizon, I think BVB can at least reach the quarter-finals, so I'll back them to do that at 7/5.

Fluminense are the clear favourites to join Dortmund in the last 16, but these are difficult times for the Rio giants. They finished a lowly 13th in Serie A last term (they were in relegation danger at one stage), and coach Renato Gaucho is their fifth hire since the start of 2022. Having to sell key midfielder Andre to Wolves did damage to a team that was continental champions in 2023, and their has been an element of having to pay the piper since that success.

Mamelodi Sundowns have been crowned as South African champions eight years in a row, and were beaten finalists in this year's CAF Champions League, losing to Egyptian side Pyramids. Much-travelled coach Miguel Cardoso has slightly moved away from the club's traditional style of play, but he is delivering results, and a win in the opener against Ulsan Hyundai could set them up for a surprise qualification at 11/2. This is a well-resourced and slick outfit who deserve respect.

Ulsan Hyundai are the dominant force in South Korean football, but they had a disastrous Asian Champions League campaign, losing six of their seven group games. Successful coach Hong Myung-Bo left to take over South Korea last year, and his experienced replacement Kim Pan-gon now hopes to impress on the global stage.

Group G - Can City rescue 2025 with global triumph?

It's been a truly miserable campaign by Manchester City's standards, and the FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace was the rancid icing on a particularly disgusting cake. Champions League qualification was only secured on the final day of the Premier League season, and City were swept aside by a Kylian Mbappé- inspired Real Madrid in the Champions League itself.

However, City spent lavishly in the winter window, with Omar Marmoush the most impressive of their recruits. The Egyptian international has been outstanding since joining from Eintracht Frankfurt, and if Erling Haaland is fit and firing, City will have plenty of firepower. It's also worth noting that City could (not confirmed at time of writing) recruit Wolves full-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, Lyon maverick Rayan Cherki and Milan midfield ace Tijjani Reijnders before the tournament begins.

Perhaps most importantly of all, the irreplaceable Rodri is back in the fold after serious injury, and without him patrolling the midfield, City collapsed. The Spaniard is the best player in his position in world football, the centre-piece of Pep Guardiola's side.

City are the same odds to win the tournament as PSG, priced at 5/1, so there perhaps isn't the same level of value there. You might be tempted instead to back them to reach the semi-finals at 13/10 - they probably need to overcome Simone Inzaghi's Al Hilal in the last 16 and Inzaghi's old side Inter in the quarter-finals.

Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca aren't in great shape. Last season they finished a lowly sixth in the Botola Pro, and this time they were third, but miles behind first-time champions Berkane. They will be fresher than most after missing out on continental football last term, but anything more than a group exit would be a big surprise.

UAE-based Al Ain won the Asian Champions League in 2024, but there has been instability at the top since then. ACL-winning coach Hernan Crespo was fired late last year, his replacement Leonardo Jardim lasted just three months, and now former Watford boss Valdimir Ivic is at the helm. Ivic won trophies in Greece and Israel, but he is yet to make an impact with Al Ain. With such stiff opposition in this group, this could be an uphill battle.

Juventus will be glad of a fairly kind draw, as they are a club that still has more questions than answers. Interim coach Igor Tudor rescued the campaign by ensuring Champions League qualification, but he is only still in situ because top target Antonio Conte decided to stay with champions Napoli. Tudor wants the job for next season, but knows he must deliver a creditable display in the US this summer.

Juve have managed to extend the stay of French forward Randal Kolo Muani, which is just as well, because Dusan Vlahovic scored in just two of his final 13 competitive appearances of the season. Juve fans will hope that Tudor continues the restoration of talented but inconsistent forward Kenan Yildiz. Juve will probably run into Real Madrid in the last 16, and that should be the end of their tournament.

Group G - Xabi Alonso under pressure immediately at Real Madrid

Having been repeatedly duffed up by their hated old foes Barcelona this season, Real Madrid are desperate to win this first edition of the expanded Club World Cup. They see themselves, rightly or wrongly, as the biggest club in the world, so it follows that they should be crowned as global champions.

I'm sure new boss Xabi Alonso would have liked a longer run-up to his first campaign after swapping Bayer Leverkusen for Los Blancos, but he is a savvy political operator and knows all about life at huge clubs. He has played for Madrid and coached there at youth level, so he knows the drill, but it remains to be seen how quickly he can instil his style of football. It took him a few months to truly get going at Leverkusen, but there's not much time for experimentation here.

Of course, it helps to have an incredibly gifted squad, and Madrid certainly have that. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen are terrific signings, and Alexander-Arnold could play a similar role to the one Alex Grimaldo played in Bayer's unbeaten league and cup double, coming into central midfield and doing damage from there. Xabi Alonso has already spoken with excitement about how he can combine Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappé, and I would expect Jude Bellingham to perhaps operate in a deeper role than under Carlo Ancelotti.

Real Madrid are the 4/1 favourites to win this tournament, and I'm not entirely on board with that. They still miss the retired Toni Kroos, Antonio Rüdiger is out injured, and it's asking a lot for the players to instantly understand what Xabi Alonso wants from them. PSG are better placed to win the tournament at present.

Now that they have signed one of the world's best coaches, Al Hilal are a really interesting proposition. Simone Inzaghi worked wonders at Lazio and Inter, and the Saudi club have pulled off a genuine coup by getting him. He has plenty of quality to work with - Yacine Bono is an excellent keeper, Kalidou Koulibaly has recovered from his disastrous Chelsea spell, Ruben Dias, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Salem Al-Dawsari all have quality in midfield, and both Marcos Leonardo and Aleksandar Mitrovic pack a punch in attack.

I would absolutely back Al Hilal to qualify at 11/10 ahead of a flaky Salzburg side. The Austrian giants have now failed to win the league in back-to-back seasons, and the reign of former Liverpool assistant coach Pep Lijnders was a total disaster. Salzburg failed in the Champions League, and there's a feeling that the well of youth talent the club is so famous for has run dry. Former Bochum and Vitesse coach Thomas Letsch is up against it here.

Mexican side Pachuca are more of a threat, and their qualification price of 7/2 is probably too big. At the recent Intercontinental Cup they beat Palmeiras and Al Ahly, and reached the final, losing to Real Madrid in the showpiece. Midfielder Elias Montero is one to watch.

However, the 2024 CONCACAF champions have struggled domestically of late, and successful coach Gillermo Almada left ahead of schedule, with rumours of fall-outs with the board and some senior players. Former Mexico coach Jaime Lozano hopes to pick up the pieces and give the team fresh impetus, but that's a tall order in a tough group.