The 2025 World Club Cup will be the 21st edition of the tournament that has been running since 2000.
This year will be the largest one yet, quadrupling in size. It will be hosted in the United States and will consist of 32 teams from six confederations.
The tournament will start on June 14th, and the final will be on July 13th. With the prize money estimated at $125, teams will be taking this tournament very seriously.
Below are my group predictions. All information is based on the four eligible years for this tournament between 2021 and 2024.
GROUP A
PALMEIRAS
PORTO
INTER MIAMI
AL AHLY
Palmeiras qualified for their third WCC by winning the Copa Libertadores in 2021, they also won it in 2020. They reached the SF in 2022 & 2023, L16 in 2024 and are in the last 16 this year. They also won the Brazilian title in 2022 & 2023. Their best WCC finish was third in 2019 & 2022. Stand-out players are Gustavo Gomez, Raphael Veiga and Estevao.
Porto qualified for their first WCC as the fifth-best eligible ranked team. This was due to their last four-year record of QF, GS, L16, and L16. During this time they won the Portuguese League in 2022 and the Portuguese Cup in 2023 & 2024. Stand-out players are Diogo Costa, Alan Verela and Pepe.
Inter Miami were one of the last teams to qualify for their first WCC, after winning the MLS league season in Oct 2024. However, they were defeated in the first round of the MSL Cup. Despite that, it’s a monumental achievement having only been formed in 2025. Stand-out players are Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suárez although all late 30’s.
Al Ahly are WCC veterans having played in 10 and finished 3rd three times. They qualified by winning the CAF Champions League in 2021. They lost the final in 2022 but won it in 2023 & 2024. They won the last three Egyptian league titles and the cup in 2022 & 2023. stand-out players are El Shenawy, Ashour and Abou Ali.
GROUP B
PARIS ST GERMAIN
ATLETICO MADRID
BOTAFOGO
SEATTLE SOUNDERS
PSG qualified for their first WCC as the second-best ranked team based on two SF and two L16, in the last four years before they won their first Champions League title in May. They have also won the French league title for the past four years. Stand-out players are Marquinhos, Hakimi, Vitinho, Kvaratskhelia, Dembele and Doue.
Atletico Madrid will play in their first WCC and qualify as the tenth-best eligible team, based on their last four-year record of L16, QF, GS, and QF. However, they won La Liga in 2021 and finished third three times and fourth once, but have not been to a domestic cup final. Stand-out players are Oblak, Azpilicueta, Koke, De Paul, Griezmann and Alvarez.
Botafogo qualified for their first WCC but won the 2024 Copa Libertadores for the first time. They followed this a week later by winning the Brazilian league for the third time and first since 1995. Their league win comes just three years after winning the Brazilian B title. Stand-out players are Alex Telles, Marlon Freitas, Allan and Artur.
Seattle qualified for their second WCC by winning the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League, but have failed to make it into the tournament since. That has been their only recent success, and they finished 7th in the league the last two seasons. Stand-out players are Stefan Frei, Pedro de la Vega, João Paulo and Ryan Kent.
GROUP C
BAYERN MUNICH
BOCA JUNIORS
BENFICA
AUCKLAND CITY
Bayern Munich qualified for their third WCC as the best-ranked eligible team with three QFs and one SF in four years. The two previous times they competed in this tournament, they won in 2013 & 2020. They have won the Bundesliga four times in the last five years. Stand-out players are Neuer, Davies, Kimmich, Paulinha, Olise, Musiala and Kane.
Boca Juniors are playing in their second WCC. In their first appearance, they finished RU in 2007. They qualified as the second-best eligible team following two L16 and a final in four years. During this time, they won the Argentine league title in 2022. Stand-out players are Romero, Rojo, Advincula, Palacious, Herrera and Cavani.
Benfica are playing in their first WCC and qualified as the seventh-best eligible team following two QFs and a GS in four years. They won the Portuguese league in 2023, but surprisingly no domestic cup wins. Stand-out players are Nicolas Otamendi, Antonio Silva, Orkun Kokcu, Renato Sanchez and Bruma.
Auckland City are the sole representative from Oceania. They are veterans in the WCC and are playing in their 13th tournament. Their best finish was 3rd in 2014. They have won the OFC Champions League four times from 2022 to 2025, for a record of 13 titles. Stand-out players are Mario Ilich, Gerard Garriga, Jackson Manuel and Adam Mitchell.
GROUP D
CHELSEA
FLAMENGO
ES TUNIS
LOS ANGELAS FC
Fresh off their European Conference league win, Chelsea are playing in third WCC. They were runners-up in 2012 and won it in 2021. They qualified by winning the Champions League in 2021. They also won the Super Cup in 2021, but no other trophies until this year. Stand-out players are Palmer, James, Enzo, Caicedo and Jackson.
Flamengo are playing in their third WCC. They were runners-up in 2019 and third in 2022. They qualified by winning the 2022 Copa Libertadores for a third time and are currently in L16. They also won the Brazilian Cup in 2024 and the Brazilian Super Cup in 2025. Stand-out players are Gerson, Danilo, de Arrasceata, Bruno Henrique and Luiz Araújo.
Esperance de Tunis qualified as the best-ranked eligible team, following a four-year record of SF, QF, SF, and Final. They are playing in their fourth WCC but have not progressed past the QF. They are record Tunisian league winners and have won eight of the last nine titles. Stand-out players are Yassin Merah, Mo Amine Tougai, Yan Sasse and Rodrigues.
Los Angeles qualified for their first WCC tournament on May 31. Mexican team León won the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League, but due to rule violations, they were disqualified. Los Angeles, who lost the final to León, defeated the top-ranked team, Club América, 2-1 after extra time in the playoffs. Stand-out players include Hugo Lloris, Aaron Long, Igor Jesus, and Olivier Giroud.
GROUP E
INTER MILAN
RIVER PLATE
MONTERREY
URAWA RED DIAMONDS
Inter Milan are playing in their second WCC. They won it in 2010. They qualified as the fourth-best-ranked eligible team, following a four-year record of GS, L16, final, and L16. During that time, they also won the Italian League twice and Coppa Italia twice. Stand-out players Martinez, Barella, Dumfries, Calhanoglu and M.Thuram.
River Plate qualified as the best-ranked eligible team following a four-year record of QF, L16, L16, and SF. They are playing in their third WCC. In the previous two, they were runner-up in 2015 and third in 2018. They also won the Argentine League twice in 2021 & 2023. Stand-out players are Armani, Pezzella, Rojas, Lanzini, Borja and Perez.
Monterrey are playing in their seventh WCC and previously finished third in 2019. They qualified by winning the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League. In 2024, they reached the SF and were runners-up in the league. Stand-out players are Sergio Ramos, Sergio Canales, Lucus Ocampos and German Berterame.
Urawa Red Diamonds are playing in their fourth WCC. They were third in 2007, lost in the 2nd round in 2017, and finished fourth in 2023. They qualified by winning the 2022 AFC Champions League and also won the Japanese Cup in 2021. Stand-out players are Takahiro Sekine, Marius Hoibraten, Matheus Savio and Genki Haraguchi.
GROUP F
BORUSSIA DORTMUND
FLUMINENSE
ULSAN HD
MAMELODI SUNDOWNS
Borussia Dortmund are playing in the WCC for the first time. They qualified as the third-best-ranked eligible team, following a four-year record of QF, GS, L16, and a final. During that time, they also won a German Cup in 2021. Stand-out players are Emre Can, Nico Schlotterbeck, Niklus Sule, Julian Brandt, Serhou Guirassy and Karim Adeyemi.
Fluminense are playing in the WCC for a second time after finishing runners-up in 2023. They qualified by winning the 2023 Copa Libertadores for the first time and then won the South American Super Cup in 2024. They also won the Rio State League in 2022 & 2023. Stand-out players are Thiago Silva, Fabio, Ganso, J.Arias and K.Serna.
Ulsan HD are playing in their third WCC and finished sixth twice. They qualified as the best-ranked eligible team following a four-year record of SF, GS, and SF. During that time, they won the South Korean League in 2022, 2023 & 2024. Stand-out players are Young-Gwon, Erick Farias, Yool Heo, Hyeon-Woo Jo and Darijan Bojanic.
Mamelodi Sundowns are playing in their second WCC, after finishing sixth in 2016. They qualified as the second-best-ranked eligible team following a four-year record of two QFs and two SFs. They won the South African title for the last seven years, with two doubles. Stand-out players are Zwane, Williams, Arthur Sales and Ribeiro Costa.
GROUP G
MANCHESTER CITY
JUVENTUS
WYDAD AC
AL AIN
Manchester City are playing in their second WCC after winning it in 2023. They qualified by winning the 2023 Champions League for the first time. Previously, they won the Premier League four times from 2021 to 2024, which included a treble in 2023. Stand-out players are Rodri, Erling Haaland, B.Silva, Dias, Omar Marmoush and Phil Foden.
Juventus are playing in the WCC for the first time. They qualified as the eighth-best-ranked eligible team, following a four-year record of L16, L16, and GS, but did not qualify in the 2023-24. During this time, they won the Coppa Italia in 2021 and 2024. Stand-out players are Manuel Locatelli, Weston McKennie, Dusan Vlahovic, Kenan Yildiz and K.Thuram.
Wydad AC qualified for the WCC by winning the 2022 CAF Champions League. They are playing in their third tournament. They finished sixth in 2017 and second round in 2022. They won the Moroccan Cup in 2021 and the league in 2023. Stand-out players are Jamal Harkass, Arthur, Samuel Obeng, Ismail Moutaraji and Walid Nassi.
Al Ain are playing in the WCC for a second time. In 2018, they lost the final to Real Madrid. But they beat River Plate in the SF. They qualified by winning the 2024 CAF Champions League. They also won the UAE League and League Cup in 2022. Stand-out players are Bandar Al-Ahbabi, Kaku, Kouame Kouadio, Park Yong-Woo and Khalid Eisa.
GROUP H
REAL MADRID
AL HILAL
RED BULL SALZBURG
PACHUCA
Real Madrid are in their seventh WCC and has won the last five they participated in. They qualified by winning the Champions League in 2022 and again in 2024. They also won the La Liga title in 2022 and 2024. Stand-out players are Vinicius Jr, Bellingham, Mbappé, Rüdiger, Carvajal, Valverde and Courtois.
Al Hilal are playing in their fourth WCC. They finished 4th, 4th, and RU previously. They qualified by winning the 2021 CAF Champions League and were runners-up in 2022. They also won the Saudi League in 2021, 2022 and 2024, and the cup in 2023 and 2024. Stand-out players are Cancelo, Mitrovic, Neves, Bono, Koulibaly and Milenkovic-Savic.
Red Bull Salzburg are playing in their first WCC. They qualified as the eighth-best-ranked eligible team following a four-year record of GS, L16, GS, and GS. They also won the Austrian league three years in a row from 2021 to 2023. and the Cup 2020, 21, 22. Stand-out players are Mads Bidstrup, Dorgeles Nene, Samson Baidoo and Karim Onisiwo.
Pachuca qualified by winning the 2024 CONCACAF Champions League. They are playing in their fifth WCC. They finished third in 2017 and were also fourth in 2008. They were the 2022 Mexican League champions and play-off runners-up. Stand-out players are Gustavo Cabral, Solomon Rondon, Eduardo Bauermann, Elias Montiel and Carlos Moreno.
