Who are the favourites to win the FIFA Club World Cup?

The FIFA Club World Cup has been heavily criticised as another competition after it was expanded to accommodate more clubs from across the globe.

Previously, the competition brought together the champions of the different continents together to compete for the trophy.

European teams, including Barcelona, Real Madrid and Chelsea, have mostly dominated it.

Occasionally, a Brazilian team wins the tournament against all odds; however, Asia, Oceania, and Africa struggle to even get teams to reach the final.

Perhaps if the continents had more clubs that represent them, the competition would be even more interesting.

This is partly why FIFA considered expanding it and the 2025 edition is to be competed for by 32 teams, the highest number of teams the competition has ever had.

Following the civil war that UEFA faced from the proposed European Super League, FIFA and the European football governing body seemed to have plans to choke the football calendar.

UEFA has also expanded the Champions League with a new league phase format that we know is now here to stay, while the world football governing body expanded the Club World Cup.

It seems both bodies simply want to ensure there is no space for clubs to play matches in another competition, which could work.

Players are already complaining about the number of games they have to play all the time, with some threatening to go on strike to force a change.

However, FIFA has managed to squeeze in a new competition and in the summer of 2025, most of us would be buying the FIFA Club World Cup tickets to see some of the world’s best players compete.

The best players around the world would showcase their skills in the competition, including Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, who now play in the United States for Inter Miami.

In this article, we consider the clubs that could emerge as the champions during the competition in the United States of America.

Inter Milan

Inter Milan is one of the most dominant clubs in Italian football, and it has won two of the last four league crowns.

Juventus is struggling to catch them at the moment, but the most impressive work that Simone Inzaghi is doing is to make fans buy Inter Milan tickets for European football.

They reached the final of the Champions League in 2023 and have remained a force in the competition even during the new format.

After five games, they remain unbeaten in the competition this season and are second behind only the perfect Liverpool, so they are one of the clubs that could win the first expanded Club World Cup.

Manchester City

Manchester City are the defending champions of the Club World Cup, having won the last edition in 2023. They could defend their title in the United States.

The Citizens have been the most successful club in England in the last four seasons, having won the Premier League in each of those campaigns.

Pep Guardiola's signing of a new deal gave them a major boost. He would remain their manager over the next two seasons and make fans to keep buying Manchester City tickets.

Trouble is brewing at City following their 115 charges by the Premier League, but in Europe, City remains a force to reckon with.

They reached the Champions League final in 2021 and finally won the competition in 2023. They are one of the clubs who could win this competition.

Real Madrid

Real Madrid has won the previous format of the Club World Cup the most by any football club and would look to dominate this one.

They have won the competition five times, including all of the editions between 2016 and 2018, a run that shows that they take the competition seriously.

Madrid is obsessed with winning and dominating any competition that they are allowed to compete in, and the Whites clearly want to show their superiority in a larger pool of opponents.

Real Madrid tickets are among the best to buy around the world of football, and their fans will be pushing to get their hands on those for their team in this competition.

Juventus

Winning a European trophy has been hard for Juventus for a long time, and the Old Lady has only qualified for the Club World Cup because of its historic performance in Europe.

However, they are undergoing transition now, with Thiago Motta as their manager, and the former midfielder would relish the chance to make an impression in this competition.

His Juve team has not had the best start to their domestic season. However, Juventus’ ticket holders hope that this team will improve in the second half of the season.

They could have welcomed back Gleison Bremer and Juan Cabal before the Club World Cup, two players who have been sidelined until the end of this season.

The team is expected to win a trophy in this campaign, and if that includes the Club World Cup, the club’s popularity will soar.

Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund reached the final of the Champions League last season, facing Real Madrid, who beat them.

However, BVB remains one of the biggest teams in European football, and we expect them to make an impression on the global stage.

Nuri Sahin is the latest manager being tasked with helping them end their wait for a new trophy, and their former player can do the job.

BVB would face Fluminense, Ulsan HD, and Mamelodi Sundowns in the group stages, and fans who buy their match tickets would feel they have an easy draw and should make the knockout stage.

Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich is one of the world’s biggest football clubs and has been the most successful club in Germany for much of its existence.

They dominated their domestic league for 11 consecutive seasons until last term when Bayer Leverkusen won the championship.

Bayern is usually at the latter stage of important competitions like the Champions League and we expect them not to struggle against teams like Auckland City, Boca Juniors and Benfica who share the same group with them in the club World Cup.

It will be exciting to buy Bayern Munich tickets because they are surely a team that can go the distance and win the competition.

Inter Miami

Fans have criticised the rationale behind Inter Miami’s qualification for the Club World Cup, but everyone would love to watch Lionel Messi facing European clubs again.

His presence in the MLS makes football more popular in the States, and holding the Club World Cup there without Lionel Messi would have made almost no sense.

He is not the only familiar name on the Miami team; fans also have the pleasure of watching Jodi Alba and Sergio Busquets play. Javier Mascherano has become the team’s manager.

These players with European experience has equipped the team for success and Inter Miami tickets are one of the best to buy even now.