FIFA Club World Cup updates: Could Man City or Chelsea win the tournament?

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup marks the 21st edition of the tournament and the first under its revamped structure, which introduces an air of unpredictability. Departing from the old seven-team setup, the tournament will now feature 32 clubs worldwide. It will begin with a group stage before progressing to knockout rounds to crown the champion.

Manchester City and Chelsea are involved, and given their underwhelming domestic campaigns, each sees this tournament as a golden opportunity to salvage silverware from a frustrating season.

Other European giants, including Real Madrid, will join them. Following their exit from the UEFA Champions League, the Spanish powerhouse will be eager to claim another major title.

Bayern Munich, fresh off yet another Bundesliga triumph, join the fray. The German side can lift the Club World Cup for a third time.

Fuelling further anticipation is a significantly boosted prize pool—now reaching \$1 billion. Through this expanded structure and massive financial incentives, FIFA is pushing to transform the Club World Cup from a previously low-profile competition into one of the most prestigious events in world football. FIFA Club World Cup tickets are in high demand which isn’t a surprise given the caliber of teams involved.

In this article Football Talk previews Man City and Chelsea’s chances of winning the Club World Cup this year.

Man City

Manchester City, far from their usual dominant form in both the Premier League and Champions League, will enter Group G of the newly expanded FIFA Club World Cup looking to salvage their season with silverware. Despite a subpar domestic campaign and an early Champions League exit, the reigning Club World Cup holders remain one of the tournament favourites.

Drawn alongside Moroccan champions Wydad AC, UAE’s AFC Champions League winners Al Ain FC, and Serie A giants Juventus, City will open their group campaign against Wydad AC on June 18 at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field. Manchester City vs Wydad AC tickets are selling well with fans expecting an exciting game. They’ll then face Al Ain in Atlanta on June 22 before concluding the group phase in Orlando on June 26 against Juventus at the Camping World Stadium.

Progressing from the group will set up a potential Round of 16 clash with one of the top two teams from Group H, which includes Real Madrid—a blockbuster tie should it materialise. If needed, all knockout rounds will be single-leg fixtures with extra time and penalties.

City’s title defence is buoyed by the return of Rodri, whose injury-ridden season in 2024–25 was a significant blow to their campaign. The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner and 2023 Club World Cup Player of the Tournament is expected to play a key role in midfield as Pep Guardiola eyes redemption on the global stage.

Guardiola’s men must navigate possible knockout fixtures against Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and PSG. While City lost to the Spanish and French sides earlier this season, their experience in high-stakes matches may still give them the edge.

The Cityzens are familiar with the venues and the growing American support, having toured the United States during the pre-season in 2024. Guardiola has spoken of his pride in expanding the club’s global footprint and sees this tournament as another opportunity to connect with fans abroad.

City won their first Club World Cup by defeating Brazilian outfit Fluminense in 2023. Now, with a stricter format and more vigorous opponents, they kick off their defence against Wydad, followed by Al Ain and then a heavyweight tie against 36-time Italian champions Juventus.

How did City qualify for the 2025 tournament?

Manchester City secured their spot in the Club World Cup by winning the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League. Their triumph came in Istanbul, where a goal from Ballon d’Or winner Rodri proved decisive in a victory over Inter Milan. Invitations to the tournament were extended to all clubs that clinched their respective continent’s premier titles within the past four seasons.

What are City’s chances of winning the Club World Cup ?

By their lofty standards, Manchester City’s current campaign has fallen short of expectations. The FA Cup remains their sole chance at silverware. Still, inconsistent displays across all competitions have emboldened the remaining teams in the tournament with the belief that City can be beaten.

The reigning Club World Cup champions—once the benchmark of dominance under Pep Guardiola—now resemble only a shadow of the all-conquering side they recently were. Yet, despite their struggles, they remain among the frontrunners to go all the way this summer.

Just seven months after lifting the UEFA Champions League trophy for the first time, City added the Club World Cup to their cabinet by seeing off Urawa Red Diamonds and Fluminense. However, hopes of defending their Premier League crown have vanished, and a ruthless Real Madrid side ended their European aspirations.

For City fans, the upcoming Club World Cup represents one final shot at redemption before a likely squad overhaul. The question now is – can the Cityzens build on their recent form to cap off a disappointing season?

Chelsea

Over three years since Chelsea triumphed over Palmeiras to lift the postponed 2021 Club World Cup, the Blues are gearing up for their third outing at FIFA’s premier international club tournament. The spotlight now turns to Enzo Maresca—can he steer his side to glory this summer, or will Chelsea falter on American turf?

FIFA seeded all 32 contenders ahead of last December’s tournament draw to maintain ‘competitive balance’ and ‘geographical diversity’ across the eight planned groups.

Ranked as Europe’s fifth-best entrant, Chelsea landed in pot two—grouped with the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Porto, Atletico Madrid, Benfica, Juventus, and RB Salzburg—ensuring they won’t clash with any of those teams during the group stage.

Drawn into Group D, Chelsea will meet Flamengo (South America’s CONMEBOL champions, from pot one), Club León (CONCACAF, pot three), and Espérance Tunis (Africa’s CAF representatives, pot four). The campaign begins at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium before they head north to Lincoln Financial Field in Pennsylvania for their final two group matches.

How did Chelsea qualify for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup?

Chelsea booked their ticket to the FIFA Club World Cup after edging Manchester City in the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League final, with Kai Havertz’s decisive goal sealing a narrow win over their English counterparts and securing a second European crown for the West London side. That triumph earned them one of the 12 slots reserved for clubs competing under UEFA’s umbrella, adding to their earlier Champions League win over FC Bayern München nine years earlier.

Unlike the format used when Chelsea last claimed the trophy in 2022, this revamped version of the Club World Cup won’t interrupt the domestic campaign mid-season.

Having earned their last appearance through the 2020/21 Champions League success, Chelsea returned to the 21st edition of the competition via the same route. Under the new qualification system, all continental champions from the past four seasons are granted automatic entry—meaning fellow Premier League side Manchester City have also secured their place at FIFA’s flagship club tournament.

Fixture schedule

The top two finishers in each group will qualify for the knockout stage, which begins with eight Round of 16 ties. Victors from these matchups progress to the quarter-finals, followed by the semi-finals and final—all scheduled to take place in New Jersey during the week starting Monday, July 6. Every knockout fixture will be a single-leg encounter, with extra time and penalties employed to decide the winner if necessary.

Chelsea can begin charting their route to the final with the tournament schedule already laid out. The Blues have two potential knockout paths depending on how they fare in the group stage.

Should they top Group D, they will meet the Group C runners-up in Round 16. However, finishing second would pit them against the Group C winners instead. Consequently, possible opponents for Chelsea at the first knockout hurdle include New Zealand side Auckland City, Argentine powerhouse Boca Juniors, old adversaries Bayern Munich, and Portuguese giants Benfica.

Failing to finish in the top two—by ending the group campaign in either third or fourth place—would see Enzo Maresca’s side crash out of the tournament. However, such an outcome is not something most bookmakers currently anticipate.

What are Chelsea’s chances of winning the Club World Cup?

Though many anticipated a transitional phase under new head coach Enzo Maresca, Chelsea have displayed impressive cohesion for most of the 2024/25 campaign. Despite being eliminated early in both domestic cup competitions, the Blues remain firmly in contention for a top-four finish following a strong run in the Premier League.

The six-time English champions cruised into the UEFA Conference League knockout stage, winning all six group matches and amassing a remarkable 26 goals. Securing their ninth European title could serve as the ideal springboard for a serious push at the revamped FIFA Club World Cup.