Real Madrid are the overall favorites to win the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, and this fact must provide warm and fuzzy feelings to Madristas everywhere. The Spanish giants finished the just completed trophy sans silverware. That is unless you count the UEFA Super Cup as a major trophy.
So despite all that protracted drama and ridiculous hype, Kylian Mbappe ended his first season at the Bernabeu without a major trophy claimed.
Real Madrid Club World Cup FYIs
How They Qualified: Winners of the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League
Group H Matches:
June 18, 3pm EST, Al-Hilal, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, FL
June 22, 3pm, EST, Pachuca, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
June 26, 9pm, EST, RB Salzburg, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA.
Past Titles Won: 5, in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022
Odds to win it all (via Oddschecker): 9/2
That has to hurt even more now that he’s watched all his former teammates at Paris Saint-Germain celebrate their first ever UEFA Champions League triumph.
He was very gracious in saluting them on social media though.
“The big day has finally arrived,” Mbappe posted on Instagram. “Victory and with the manner of a whole club, Congratulations, PSG.”
Club World Cup Player to Watch: Trent Alexander-Arnold
As we learned yesterday, Madrid paid Liverpool about $11,000,000 to get the English right back out of his contract early, just so he could play in this tournament. His LFC deal was set to expire on June 30, and he joined the club on a free transfer…at least until this added transaction was put in place.
We’ll see if this investment was worth it or not.
Club World Cup Storyline I: Xabi Alonso Era Beckons
Carlo Ancelotti is now off to try and fix what ails the Brazilian national team. It’s a tough task to be sure, but Ancelotti is a manager who is as accomplished as they come. Now Xabi, considered one of the leading up-and-comers in the coaching profession, takes the reins.
Winning this title would certainly get things off on the right foot.
Club World Cup Storyline II: Home Field Advantage
There are plenty of reasons why Real Madrid are favored to win this tourney, but the fan factor cannot be ignored. Polls, surveys etc. consistently show that the most popular football/soccer club in America is Real Madrid.
Yes, even more than Inter Miami CF. Although it’s worth noting that most of those people are not actually Major League Soccer fans, or even Inter Miami fans. They are just Lionel Messi supporters.
Wherever Real Madrid go in the 2025 Club World Club, they will have the crowd on their side.
2025 FIFA Club World Cup Previews
Manchester City Atletico Madrid Paris Saint-Germain Bayern Munich Real Madrid Borussia Dortmund Inter Miami CF Chelsea FC Juventus
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter