Indy Sportsbook: FIFA Club World Cup 2025
Graphic by Miranda Chao Hwang
The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 launched its first game on June 14 and will continue until the final on July 13. Since its inception in 2000, this tournament has invited club teams from around the world and will be hosted in the United States this year. Recently, FIFA increased the invited teams from seven to 32, with 16 of these teams coming from Europe’s international football confederation (UEFA), while the rest are from the football confederations of Asia (AFC), Africa (Caf), North and Central America (Concacaf), South America (Conmebol), and Oceania (OFC).
Teams from these confederations have accrued points through a ranking system based on their performances in the past four seasons; however, only two teams from each nation may qualify. The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will proceed from the current group stage to the round of 16. The addition of more games to the tournament has been criticized by many for the burden it places on players. Although this tournament appears to favor European teams, and it does financially, most European teams compete in more competitions in a calendar year than any of the teams from other confederations.
Depending on match results, teams are awarded victory bonuses from a budget of $1 billion. However, bonuses are larger depending on a team’s confederation: UEFA, Conmebol, Concacaf, AFC, Caf, OFC (ranked from highest to lowest). Although you will not see any of this prize money, the Sportsbook has got you covered with match predictions, as June 26 is the final match day for the group stage.
Juventus vs Manchester City (-125):
Both teams competed in a similar number of matches this past season and are suffering from exhausted legs; however, Manchester City has a squad with more depth which will help Pep Guardiola manage his players’ fatigue. Juventus did have a solid season, finishing in fourth place in the Serie A, but lost in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. Manchester City finished third in the Premier League and also lost in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16. For many other teams, Manchester City’s season performance would have been impressive, but for the former UEFA Champions League and Premier League winners, it was a letdown for many fans. Even with Pep Guardiola’s squad roulette and new signings like Rayan Cherki finding their way into the squad, Manchester City are without a doubt the favorites in this matchup. Despite a narrow 2-0 win against Wydad AC and an unremarkable performance from Cherki, Manchester City still has world-class players with the likes of Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku, and Savinho, who can secure victories.
Wydad AC (+170) vs Al Ain FC:
Al Ain FC had a terrible first showing in this tournament, losing 5-0 to Juventus. Despite connecting five shots on target, Al Ain FC was unable to put together any threatening sequences to demonstrate dominance of the ball. We think that this will be a back-and-forth match in which Wydad AC will finish ahead after several goals are scored. Being the slight favorite, Al Ain FC will likely attempt to dominate possession of the ball in Wydad AC’s third, but Wydad AC will look to score off of quick counter-attacks and set pieces.
Al Hilal (-130) vs CF Pachuca:
Al Hilal had an impressive showing against Real Madrid, sealing a 1-1 tie. Despite playing against weaker competition in the Saudi Pro League, Al Hilal’s starting lineup is filled with stars familiar with this type of competition, including João Cancelo, Rúben Neves, and Sergej Milinković-Savić, all of whom were bought from top European clubs. Although Pachuca performed well in their 2-1 loss to Salzburg, they will not be able to hold up against Al Hilal. Al Hilal attempted and succeeded in maintaining possession of the ball in build-up play against Real Madrid and Salzburg, which will carry into this fixture against CF Pachuca.
As FIFA attempts to increase the competitiveness of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, the addition of more teams from across the world sets the stage for upsets as small clubs seek to topple European giants. We have already witnessed unexpected draws from the underdogs: Boca Juniors 2-2 Benfica, Fluminense 0-0 Borussia Dortmund, Monterrey 1-1 Inter Milan, and Real Madrid 1-1 Al Hilal. In many of these tied games, the heavy favorites complained about the extreme conditions of the U.S. tournament, citing the heat and game times as factors hindering their performance. The U.S. heat has already played a massive role in many matches so far, with many European teams accustomed to playing in cooler weather. In the upcoming rounds, we will likely see many more upsets as European teams continue adapting to this new climate.
Alejandro Sanchez ’26 (alejandrosanchez@college.harvard.edu) has Manchester City winning the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.