FIFA Club World Cup 2025: A Look at the Eight Groups
The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 kicks off on June 14th across venues in the United States, featuring 32 teams divided into eight groups of four competing in a round-robin format. The top two clubs from each group will advance to the knockouts, with the final scheduled for July 13.
Group A: Host Glory?
FC Porto leads the way in Group A as the strongest-ranked team with a Top 50 club ranking across the world. Inter Miami CF have worked their way into second favourites to progress with some competition from Brazilian giants Palmeiras and Egyptian powerhouse Al Ahly. This group promises early fireworks with established continental champions facing off.
Group B: French Flair vs Spanish Royalty
New UEFA Champions League winners PSG and Atletico Madrid are both firm favourites to go through to the next round yet can one of Botafogo or MLS representatives Seattle Sounders steal a point or even make an upset and open the group up?
Group C: German Precision Meets Global Talent
Group C should also be fairly firmed up with Bayern Munich being streets ahead of their nearest competitors. SL Benfica should clench 2nd place and progress yet will there be an upset by Boca Juniors (Argentina) or even Australian A-League side Auckland FC?
Group D: Premier League Power
Chelsea commands Group D with an impressive ranking of 12th in the world and represents English football’s ambitions. They face competition from Brazilian Serie A’s CR Flamengo, Tunisia’s Espérance Sportive de Tunis, and MLS side Los Angeles FC, setting up potential upsets in this evenly matched group.
Group E: Italian Revival
UEFA Champions League runners-up FC Internazionale Milano leads Group E with a strong club ranking of fourth in the world. They will look to put the 5-0 loss to PSG behind them and end the season strong. They face Argentina’s CA River Plate, Mexico’s CF Monterrey, and Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds, who will all look to secure that second qualifying spot.
Group F: Bundesliga Meets Global Competition
Borussia Dortmund leads Group F. They’re joined by South African side Mamelodi Sundowns, Brazilian powerhouse Fluminense, and South Korea’s Ulsan HD FC. Sundowns will look to put their CAF Champions League loss behind them and exit 2nd behind Dortmund to play in the knockout rounds.
Group G: English Excellence
Manchester City, the defending champions, will face their hardest test against fellow top team side Juventus from Italy. The other games should be fairly simple for both against Wydad Athletic Club, and UAE’s Al Ain FC.
Group H: Spanish Excellence in Action
Real Madrid will look to top Group H and make a statement to the rest of the groups. They face Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal FC, Mexican representatives CF Pachuca, and Austrian side RB Salzburg. With such a high rating differential, Madrid appears well-positioned to dominate this group.
The expanded format promises to deliver unprecedented drama as clubs from six confederations compete for global supremacy.
