June 14 will mark a before and after in the history of soccer around the world when the 2025 Club World Cup kicks off, as it will be the first edition with 32 teams from the six different confederations. The tournament will last one month (similar to the World Cup) and will play the final on July 13, with all matches being played in the United States.
With this new format, the aim is to transform the tournament to bring together the most important teams on the planet. Great and historic European clubs such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Juventus; also some of the most important in the continent such as Boca Juniors, River Plate, Flamengo and Fluminense; and without omitting great figures such as Lionel Messi with Inter Miami.
How will the Club World Cup matches be played?
The Group Stage consists of 48 matches starting on June 14 and ending on June 26, after which the round of 16 will take place. From then on, all matches will be played as a single-elimination match and will be played as follows:
Matchday 1
- Saturday, June 14: Al Ahly vs Inter Miami
- Sunday, June 15: Bayern Munich vs Auckland City, PSG vs Atletico Madrid, Palmeiras vs Porto and Botafogo vs Seattle Sounders
- Monday, June 16: Chelsea vs LAFC, Boca Juniors vs Benfica and Flamengo vs Esperance de Tunis
- Tuesday, June 17: Fluminense vs Borussia Dortmund, River Plate vs Urawa Red Diamonds, Ulsan Hyundai vs Mamelodi Sundowns and Monterrey vs Inter
- Wednesday, June 18: Manchester City vs Wydad Casablanca, Real Madrid vs Al Hilal, Pachuca vs Red Bull Salzburg and Al Ain vs Juventus
Matchday 2
- Thursday, June 19: Palmeiras vs Al Ahly, Inter Miami vs Porto, Seattle Sounders vs Atletico Madrid and PSG vs Botafogo
- Friday, June 20: Benfica vs Auckland City, Flamengo vs Chelsea, LAFC vs Esperance de Tunis and Bayern Munich vs Boca Juniors
- Saturday, June 21: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Borussia Dortmund, Inter vs Urawa Red Diamonds, Fluminense vs Ulsan Hyundai and River Plate vs Monterrey
- Sunday, June 22: Juventus vs Wydad Casablanca, Real Madrid vs Pachuca, Red Bull Salzburg vs Al Ahly and Manchester City vs Al Ain
Matchday 3
- Monday, June 23: Seattle Sounders vs PSG, Atletico Madrid vs Botafogo, Porto vs Al Ahly and Inter Miami vs Palmeiras
- Tuesday, June 24: Auckland City vs Boca Juniors, Benfica vs Bayern Munich, Esperance de Tunis vs Chelsea and LAFC vs Flamengo
- Wednesday, June 25: Borussia Dortmund vs Ulsan Hyundai, Mamelodi Sundowns vs Fluminense, Urawa Red Diamonds vs Monterrey and Inter vs River Plate
- Thursday, June 26: Juventus vs Manchester City, Wydad Casablanca vs Al Ain, Al Ahly vs Pachuca and Red Bull Salzburg vs Real Madrid
Single-elimination format at the Club World Cup
After the conclusion of the group stage of the Club World Cup, the knockout matches will begin, with the top two clubs from each group advancing to the next round.
First side of the box
The winner of Group A will face the runner-up of Group B, the winner of Group C will face the runner-up of Group D, the leader of Group E will face the runner-up of Group F, and finally, the leader of Group G will face the runner-up of Group H.
Second side of the picture
On the other side of the bracket, the first place in Group B will face the second place in Group A, the first place in Group D will face the second place in Group C, the leader of Group F will face the runner-up of Group E, and the winner of Group H will face the second place in Group G.
Favourites for the Club World Cup
Although each group has its strong teams and favorites to advance “without complications” to the next round, there are in particular five teams that look very strong not only to stay at the top of their group, but also to be able to lift the championship trophy.
The team that is most likely and is a heavy favorite to lift the trophy according to various bookmakers is Real Madrid, the biggest winner of the Champions League and with a great team. They are followed by Manchester City, another of the powerful clubs with great investment in the world. The podium is completed by the current and recent champion of Europe, PSG. The two remaining teams in the Top 5 are also European: Bayern Munich and Chelsea.
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