A look ahead to this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup, discussing the competition format, qualification, betting tips and more.
The revamped 2025 Club World Cup has attracted plenty of attention in recent weeks. Gianni Infantino’s reluctance to give players any time off has been met with criticism, as an annual afterthought of a competition has been transformed into a supposed summer blockbuster.
It remains to be seen how much live betting interest this event attracts. Many of the world’s best players and biggest teams are involved, but how seriously will the elite clubs take it?
What is the new format?
The format for the Club World Cup is basically a replica of the FIFA World Cup. Thirty-two teams are split into eight groups of four. The top two teams from each group progress to the round of 16 when it becomes a single-elimination tournament, including the final.
Most groups have two clear favourites to qualify. The highlights of the first round will be Manchester City facing Juventus and PSG taking on Atletico Madrid.
How did teams qualify?
Twelve places go to European clubs based on their performances in the Champions League from 2020/21 up until this season. Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Manchester City – the three previous winners – are given automatic berths.
South American teams make up six of the 32, based on performance in the Copa Libertadores. The Asian Football Confederation, African Federation and the North American Federation have four teams apiece, allocated on the performance of teams in their respective continental competitions.
Oceania has a lone representative, while Inter Miami take the spot for the host nation, meaning Lionel Messi and co. will be in action. Los Angeles FC were a late entrant after defeating Club America in a playoff to decide who would replace Club Leon (kicked out of the tournament for violating multi-club policies).
Where is the Club World Cup being played?
The 2025 Club World Cup is being played in the USA. It is – like the Confederation Cup – a run through for the World Cup in the following year, which will be played across North America.
MetLife Stadium will host a quarter-final, both semi-finals, and the final.
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
- Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte)
- TQL Stadium (Cincinnati)
- Rose Bowl Stadium (Los Angeles)
- Hard Rock Stadium (Miami)
- GEODIS Park (Nashville)
- Camping World Stadium (Orlando)
- Inter&Co Stadium (Orlando)
- Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
- Lumen Field (Seattle)
- Audi Field (Washington, D.C.)
FIFA Club World Cup Tips
It’s hard to look past PSG in this tournament after their dominant performance throughout the Champions League. Their hammering of Inter in the final will live long in the memory.
The other way to look at it, however, is that Luis Enrique’s team have reached the pinnacle. Will they really be motivated to chase a piece of relatively meaningless silverware? Contract bonuses have been met, legacies have already been cemented, so maybe the value lies elsewhere.
Look at the teams this competition could mean more to. Atletico, Chelsea, Juventus, and Dortmund fall into that category. Chelsea should avoid any of the top sides until the last four at least, providing both they and Bayern Munich top their groups. Another piece of hardware for Enzo Maresca’s young team would be a major step in their development.
Atletico – at worst – will face Porto in the last 16. Dortmund should top their group, likely earning a matchup with River Plate. It wouldn’t be massively surprising to see Juventus get a result against a Manchester City team that could look down on this competition.
Chelsea – at a price of 10/1 – look like the pick of the bunch, given what success would mean to this squad after lifting the Conference League. Everything points towards Maresca going full-strength. Cole Palmer at 28/1 is an appealing top goal scorer option, too, particularly with the Blues potentially filling their boots against Esperance Sportive de Tunis.
Teams with recent league titles or Champions League successes are more likely to see this as glorified preseason and a chance to give minutes to younger players. For others, silverware has been harder to come by, and this presents an opportunity to assert themselves on the world stage.
Groups
- Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami
- Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle Sounders
- Group C: Bayern Munich, Benfica, Boca Juniors, Auckland City
- Group D: Flamengo, Chelsea, Esperance Sportive de Tunis, Los Angeles FC
- Group E: River Plate, Inter Milan, CF Monterrey, Urawa Red Diamonds
- Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan HD, Mamelodi Sundowns
- Group G: Man City, Juventus, Wydad AC, Al Ain
- Group H: Real Madrid, FC Salzburg, Al Hilal, CF Pachuca
Winner Odds
According to the latest football odds from William Hill, these are the betting favourites to lift the Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium:
- PSG – 4/1
- Real Madrid – 4/1
- Manchester City – 5/1
- Bayern Munich – 13/2
- Chelsea – 10/1
- Atletico Madrid – 14/1
- Inter – 14/1
- Juventus – 25/1
- Dortmund – 25/1
- Porto – 33/1
- Palmeiras – 33/1
- Flamengo – 33/1
Top Scorer Odds
- Kylian Mbappe – 9/2
- Erling Haaland – 5/1
- Harry Kane – 11/2
- Ousmane Dembele – 10/1
- Serhou Guirassy – 12/1
- Vinicius Jr. – 16/1
- Alexander Sorloth – 16/1
- Bradley Barcola – 20/1
- Lionel Messi – 20/1
- Julian Alvarez – 20/1
- Omar Marmoush – 20/1
- Lautaro Martinez – 20/1
*Odds subject to change – prices accurate at time of writing*
