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Multiple contributors
Dec 5, 2024, 03:30 PM ET
The draw for the newly formatted 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is complete ahead of the competition taking place between June 15 and July 13 in the United States. Now let’s answer the big questions. Which teams are strongest in their confederation? Are Lionel Messi and Inter Miami strong contenders? What about Manchester City? Or will we see a surprise winner this time around?
With the opponents known, ESPN’s experts take a closer look at all the teams while giving their predictions on who will take the title and be the top scorer come the end of the tournament.
Europe
Teams: Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, Porto, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg
Which team is the strongest in your confederation?
This is a tough call. Real Madrid and Manchester City would ordinarily be the leading sides, as reigning Champions League holders and Premier League champions respectively, but both sides are enduring difficult seasons. Yet with neither Liverpool nor Barcelona — Europe’s most in-form teams right now — qualifying for the Club World Cup, Real and City just nudge Bayern Munich and Chelsea out as the strongest sides. But their present weaknesses mean that next summer might not be the formality that many would usually expect.
Which team will surprise you (good or bad)?
Chelsea. It has taken two years for the new ownership regime at Stamford Bridge to deliver stability and genuine hope of success at the club, but under coach Enzo Maresca, Chelsea are now an exciting young team that could even win the Premier League title this season. And their squad is big enough to cope with the fixture demands this season, with Maresca resting his stars in the UEFA Conference League. So when the Club World Cup comes around next summer, they could be the outsider that goes all the way.
Which three players should viewers know about and why?
Cole Palmer, Chelsea: Ok, you already know about the 22-year-old Chelsea forward, but he is a player that has so far stepped up and thrived at every level he has played at. By the time the Club World Cup finishes next summer, Palmer could be the star of the tournament.
Gio Reyna, Borussia Dortmund: Reyna will be no stranger to the U.S. sporting public when he plays for Borussia Dortmund at the Club World Cup, but the USMNT midfielder has endured a miserable recent past for club and country and this tournament will be his chance to make a mark in Dortmund colours, away from the pressure of expectation that comes with playing for his country.
Lautaro Martínez, Inter Milan: The Inter Milan forward has become one of the most accomplished forwards in the world game and he was a crucial figure alongside Messi in Argentina‘s FIFA Men’s World Cup triumph at Qatar 2022. But by playing outside the Premier League and LaLiga in Serie A, Martínez doesn’t quite occupy that top tier alongside the likes of Erling Haaland and Vinícius Júnior, so the Club World Cup is his chance to elevate himself to that level. — Mark Ogden
Africa
Teams: Al Ahly, Wydad AC, Esperance de Tunis, Mamelodi Sundowns
Which team is the strongest in your confederation?
Egyptian giants Al Ahly are the most successful club in the history of African football and, having qualified for the Club World Cup as Africa’s champions — their record-extending twelfth title — are the continent’s best prospect. They represented Africa at the Club World Cup in its previous iteration on nine occasions, and having won three of the last four CAF Champions Leagues, this squad are seasoned and savvy when it comes to navigating knockout football. Reigning Egyptian champions, they’re unbeaten in their first four games this season under Marcel Koller, and be under no illusion, they’ll be taking this competition seriously.
Which team will surprise you (good or bad)?
Wydad Casablanca aren’t in great shape, but while a case could be made for Esperance of Tunisia, it’s South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns — the only side representing sub-Saharan Africa at the tournament — who could really be a fascinating watch in the United States. They defeated Wydad in the final of the first (and to date, only) African Super League, having previously struggled to translate their domestic dominance beyond South Africa. They’ve won the South African Premiership in the last seven seasons, but were outclassed in their only previous Club World Cup appearance (in 2016), and will be desperate to prove themselves on a grander stage.
Which three players should viewers know about and why?
Hussein El Shahat, Al Ahly: No stranger to the Club World Cup, El Shehat has scored in four separate editions of the competition and will be desperate to light up a fifth. The diminutive wideman has played the entirety of his career in his homeland — apart from a brief spell in Abu Dhabi — but has consistently been one of the most watchable players in CAF competitions with his guile and invention, particularly off the left. Capable of the spectacular, no one scored more for Ahly en route to last season’s African title, although he’s no saint; an altercation with a rival player in 2023 initially resulted in a suspended one-year prison sentence.
Ronwen Williams, Mamelodi Sundowns: You may recognise Sundowns keeper Williams from the recent Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, when he was named among the nominees for the Yashin Trophy to celebrate the year’s best goalkeeper. Downs conceded just 10 goals across 30 PSL matches en route to yet another title, while Williams also broke an Africa Cup of Nations record when he saved every spot kick in South Africa’s quarterfinal shootout victory over Cape Verde. A growing leader, and increasingly a player for the big occasion, Williams has had his brush with global stardom at the Ballon d’Or awards, and will surely relish the chance of neutralising some of the world’s finest strikers next June!
Youcef Belaïli, Espérance de Tunis: Another veteran, at 32, Belaili is still electric as he comes to the tail end of a fascinating career that once appeared to have been derailed after he tested positive for cocaine and failed to make the grade in France. The explosive wide man returned in style, proving to be a standout — at times eclipsing Riyad Mahrez — in the fine Algeria side that won the 2019 Nations Cup and the Arab Cup two years later. He was Africa’s Inter-Club Player of the year in 2019 (the same year he won the second of two African titles with Esperance) and is now happily back in the Tunisian capital after further exploits in Qatar, France and his homeland. — Ed Dove
Asia and Oceania
Teams: Al-Hilal, Urawa Red Diamonds, Al Ain, Ulsan HD, Auckland City
Which team is the strongest in your confederation?
Korean powers Ulsan just wrapped up their third K-League title in succession and the UAE’s Al Ain are the reigning Asian Champions, but when examining this season’s continental form, it’s difficult to look past Al Hilal. Captained by Saudi legend Salem Al-Dawsari and fielding the best squad petrodollars can assemble, they lead the West region of the Asian Champions League Elite league stage as they simultaneously engage in a title race in the Saudi Pro League. Ulsan in contrast, is second bottom of the East with one win and Al Ain is winless and second bottom of the West. Uruwa, meanwhile, ended their 2024 campaign mid-table in the J1 League and didn’t qualify for continental play.
Which team will surprise you (good or bad)?
It’s Al Hilal, one way or another. Having signed players like Kalidou Koulibaly, Aleksandar Mitrovic, and Neymar as part of a broader wave of investment in Saudi football designed to raise the nation’s reputation, the club — of which the Saudi sovereign wealth fund the PIF has a 75% stake — and Saudi Pro League have vaulted into global football’s collective consciousness.
However, this rise in notoriety hasn’t been accompanied by a rise on-field outside of Asia, so impressing at the Club World Cup would help challenge these perceptions. But should they crash out embarrassingly, one can’t imagine the reputational blow will be received well by the presumptive host nation of the 2034 World Cup.
Which three players should viewers know about and why?
Neymar, Al Hilal: The Brazilian icon was the biggest star not named Cristiano Ronaldo to land in Saudi Arabia in recent times, but he’s been restricted to all of seven games during his time in the Gulf: five games in his first season before rupturing his ACL while on international duty and just two games after his return before a hamstring injury struck. The 32-year-old will be a free agent following the Club World Cup and in a recent podcast appearance, his father described him as never having been “so free” to decide his future, as well as saying that having him available for this tournament was one of the key drivers in Al Hilal sticking with the mercurial attacker through his recovery.
Soufiane Rahimi, Al Ain: It’s been a good year for Rahimi. The 28-year-old was named the MVP of the 2023-24 Asian Champions League Elite as Al Ain was crowned champions — beating Al Hilal in the semifinals — and won the competition’s Golden Boot with 13 goals. He then added another accolade in the months that followed when he was the leading goalscorer at the Paris Olympics, scoring in all of Morroco’s fixtures as an overage player — eight goals overall — as his nation won bronze. Signing a new deal to keep him with Al Ain until 2028 in August, he was shortlisted as one of 10 players nominated for the CAF African Player of the Year award two months later.
Myer Bevan, Auckland City: Auckland City occupies something of an odd situation at the Club World Cup; new A-League Men franchise Auckland FC are the only professional outfit in New Zealand’s largest city, but the amateur Navy Blues are taking to the global stage thanks to their continued dominance of the Kiwi National League and OFC Champions League. Given conflicting reports surrounding his status with former (current?) club Cavalry FC, Bevan is also in a bit of a unique situation but that hasn’t stopped him from scoring: a three-minute hat trick against Coastal Spirit helping fire City into another New Zealand National League grand, where they beat Birkenhead United 2-1 after extra-time. — Joey Lynch
North and Central America, Caribbean
Teams: Monterrey, Seattle Sounders, Leon, Pachuca, Inter Miami
Which team is the strongest in your confederation?
Monterrey can probably make the claim here as the best of the Concacaf five, but there’s no way we can overlook Lionel Messi and friends over in Inter Miami. Although there are some serious question marks over the superstars that infamously dropped out in the early stages of the latest MLS playoffs, Miami will be the side to beat from North America.
How they rebuild in the winter offseason, and head of the Club World Cup, will be a story to follow.
Which team will surprise you (good or bad)?
Far from the likes of big-spenders in the region that sign high-profile names, what Pachuca consistently thrive at is finding and producing the next generation of Mexican superstars. With arguably the best academy in all of North America, the Tuzos have regularly punched above their weight with six Concacaf titles, one Conmebol Sudamericana, and six Liga MX trophies since 2020.
Things didn’t go as planned with a spot outside of the playoff zone in the 2024 Apertura, but Pachuca don’t tend to struggle for long periods of time. Keep an eye on an up-and-comer like Elias Montiel as well.
Which three players should viewers know about and why?
Lionel Messi, Inter Miami: Messi needs no explanation, he’s the greatest of all-time and he’s still a joy to watch in the sunset of his career.
Víctor Guzmán, Monterrey: Looking over at Monterrey’s 22-year-old Guzman, plenty of credit is due to the young defender that has found a way to establish himself in a talent-heavy roster. If he lives up to his hype, it might be only a matter of time before he heads to Europe.
Obed Vargas, Seattle Sounders: Speaking of options who could go abroad, Seattle’s 19-year-old midfielder Vargas has recently highlighted that he’s ready to step outside the comforts of MLS. Depending on how things go, the Alaskan-born Mexican international might move to Europe before the tournament even begins. — Cesar Hernandez
0:57
Mascherano hopes Inter Miami’s Barca reunion is an ‘advantage’
Javier Mascherano looks forward to managing former Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba.
South America
Teams: Palmeiras, Flamengo, Fluminense, River Plate, Boca Juniors, Botafogo
Which team is the strongest in your confederation?
The strongest team in South America is hard to name but can be narrowed down to three — reason being that cycles tend to be short in the continent, making it too early to judge relative strengths. For example, it is not clear if recently crowned LIbertadores champions Botafogo will keep their current side together until the middle of next year. But whatever happens they should be strong, with Flamengo and Palmeiras also likely to be extremely competitive.
Which team will surprise you (good or bad)?
The team that could surprise is Fluminense, based on how far they have declined. Champions of the continent just a year ago, they are currently battling to avoid relegation to Brazil’s second division, and have one of the worst attacking records in the top flight. Their fate is an illustration of how short South American cycles can be, and they have plenty of work ahead if they are to be competitive in the Club World Cup.
Which three players should viewers know about and why?
Estêvão, Palmeiras: The 17-year-old will join Chelsea after the tournament. He’s the most outstanding talent Brazil has produced since Neymar and is top scorer in the league in his debut season. Estêvão is a left-footed right winger of dazzling skill.
Gerson, Flamengo: The 27-year-old is a strong and versatile left-footed midfielder who is currently first-choice in the Brazil team. He didn’t have overwhelming success in spells in Italy and France, but is thriving now in an attacking midfield role.
Igor Jesus, Botafogo: A relative unknown in the United Arab Emirates just a few months ago, Jesus was brought home by Botafogo, debuted in July and by October he was Brazil’s first choice centre-forward. He’s strong, mobile and a good finisher on the ground and in the air. — Tim Vickery
Top scorer, winner predictions
Who will win it all?
Ogden: Chelsea. They will benefit from the freshness that Manchester City and Real Madrid will be denied by their involvement in the Champions League. Young legs and fresh minds will make a crucial difference in this tournament and Chelsea have all the key ingredients to emerge as world champions.
Vickery: It is hard to see how the European teams can play to their potential in this tournament. If they are at full strength they will surely jeopardize the following season with over-tired players. There may not be enough prestige at stake to take it seriously, and even if they do, the heat of the U.S. summer will reduce the level of intensity possible at the end of a draining season. This opens the door to other challengers — and the big Brazilian clubs are looking at this chance with beady eyes.
Brazil‘s league calendar is being adjusted around the Club World Cup, and the players will be in mid-season and at the peak of their physical powers. Botafogo owner John Textor has invested big, will be tempted to keep this side together a while longer and is promising more glamorous reinforcements. They can have few complaints about the draw, and with the wind in their sails, they might take some stopping.
Hernandez: There will be some surprises, but it’s inevitable that one of the heavyweights rises to the top. Considering that they’re losing ground in the Premier League, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Manchester City are then much more motivated to win every other competition they’re involved in through next summer.
1:18
Michallik admits underestimating Chelsea’s ‘complete player’ Jackson
Janusz Michallik loves what he’s seeing from Nicolas Jackson after his eighth Premier League goal of the season helped Chelsea take down Aston Villa.
Who will be top scorer?
Ogden: Nicolas Jackson. If Chelsea are going to win it, they will have to score goals to do so and while he can be wayward and frustrating at times, Jackson scores plenty of goals. And against the weaker teams at the Club World Cup, the Senegal international will quickly rack up the numbers.
Vickery: Harry Kane of Bayern Munich will be hoping to get off to a flying start against Auckland City, and the draw looks interesting for Lautaro Martínez of Inter Milan. The stage could also be set for Kylian Mbappé to make a statement of his worth to Real Madrid, while Erling Haaland could get plenty of chances if Man City end up viewing this competition as an opportunity to get back on track.
Hernandez: Despite his team’s latest missteps in the Premier League Erling Haaland still providing some great goal scoring-numbers, and looking ahead, his Club World Cup group is a manageable one. Juventus will pose a challenge, but Haaland will truly ramp up his tally against Wydad AC and Al Ain.
Group, semifinals and final predictions
Which two teams will advance from each group?
Group A: Palmeiras (Brazil), Porto (Portugal), Al Ahly (Egypt), Inter Miami (USA)
Top two: Palmeiras and Al Ahly
Inter Miami’s participation in the Club World Cup has sparked controversy due to their surprise selection by FIFA president Gianni Infantino after winning the MLS Supporters Shield, but don’t expect them to last too long in the tournament. Palmeiras and Porto will expect to qualify for the knock-out stages, but African Champions League winners Al Ahly are good enough to snatch a top two spot.
Group B: PSG (France), Atletico Madrid (Spain), Botafogo (Brazil), Seattle Sounders (USA)
Top two: Atletico Madrid and Botafogo
Fitness and fatigue will be key factors at the Club World Cup and the South American teams in mid-season will have an advantage over their European rivals. Botafogo, winners of the Copa Libertadores, can split PSG and Atletico Madrid, but Seattle Sounders will find it tough to escape bottom spot.
Group C: Bayern Munich (Germany), Boca Juniors (Argentina), Auckland City (New Zealand), Benfica (Portugal)
Top two: Bayern Munich and Boca Juniors
German giants Bayern should top this group comfortably with the goals of Harry Kane and skills of Jamal Musiala, but the battle for second spot is likely to come down to the clash between Benfica and Boca Juniors. Boca are having a difficult season in Argentina right now, but their freshness next summer might just give them the edge over Benfica who have aging Argentine World Cup winners Angel di Maria and Nicolás Otamendi in their squad.
Group D: Flamengo (Brazil), Esperance de Tunis (Tunisia), Chelsea (England), Club Leon (Mexico)
Top two: Chelsea and Flamengo
Chelsea are the strongest team in this group and, with coach Enzo Maresca rotating his squad in different competitions this season, they should be fresh for the Club World Cup. Expect Cole Palmer to play a starring role, but there will be a real scrap for second place. Flamengo have hopes of winning the tournament and will be backed in huge numbers, but so will Club Leon. Esperance should not be under-estimated either.
Group E: River Plate (Argentina), Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan), Monterrey (Mexico), Inter Milan (Italy)
Top two: Inter Milan and River Plate
Inter will go into the Club World Cup on the back of a long season in Italy and the Champions League, so they could be vulnerable to a shock in a tough group. River Plate will be mid-season and fresh, but although Monterrey will be well-supported and have a rising star in coach Martin Demichelis — the former River coach — Japan’s success at the 2022 World Cup shows that Urawa Red Diamonds should be taken seriously.
Group F: Fluminense (Brazil), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Ulsan HD (South Korea), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
Top two: Borussia Dortmund and Ulsan HD
Arguably the weakest group in the tournament. Brazilian giants Fluminense are enduring a dismal season and are at risk of relegation from Serie A, while Dortmund are outside the Bundesliga top four and 10 points behind leaders Bayern Munich. With South African football at a low point right now, Ulsan could find a way through this section.
Group G: Manchester City (England), Wydad AC (Morocco), Al Ain (UAE), Juventus (Italy)
Top two: Manchester City and Juventus
Watch out for Wydad AC — that should be the warning to European heavyweights Juventus and Manchester City. Morocco’s success at the 2022 World Cup highlighted the country’s quality and Wydad could catch City off guard in the opening game. A quirk of the draw has also seen Abu Dhabi-owned City paired with Abu Dhabi-based Al Ain, whose president is Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan, president of the UAE and brother of City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan.
Group H: Real Madrid (Spain), Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia), Pachuca (Mexico), FC Salzburg (Austria)
Top two: Real Madrid and Al Hilal
This group should be a cruise for Real Madrid, but there will also be some extra star quality added by Neymar if the Brazil forward returns to form and fitness with Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal. Neither Pachuca nor FC Salzburg have any great pedigree outside of their home country, so they will not be regarded as heavyweights in this competition, and Al Hilal might just sneak into runners-up spot behind Real.
Which teams will reach the semifinals?
While there will be an element of survival of the fittest at the Club World Cup, quality will eventually come out on top. But there will be at least one surprise team making it to the last four. Manchester City and Real Madrid will be in opposite halves of the draw if, as expected, they win their groups and could meet in the final. But Flamengo and Botafogo will be dangerous, so the last four will be: Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Flamengo.
Who will be in the final?
Chelsea have the youthful energy of so many emerging players, including Palmer, Jackson and Moisés Caicedo, while coach Maresca’s sensible approach to squad rotation will ensure the team have the physical capability to endure a month-long tournament.
The likes of Real, Bayern and Manchester City can’t rest players in the Champions League as Chelsea have been able to do in the Conference League, and it will make a difference after 10-month season. And Flamengo, like Palmeiras, Fluminense and Botafogo, will benefit from the Brazilian season only being at its halfway stage and that will be a big factor — as will their determination to strike a blow for Brazilian and South American football by winning the Club World Cup. Chelsea and Flamengo are due to meet in Group D, but they could also meet in the final.
Predicted final: Chelsea vs. Flamengo
