FIFA Club World Cup
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It is day five at the 2025 Club World Cup and the most successful club in this competition are in action as five-time winners Real Madrid face Al-Hilal.
La Liga side Real Madrid qualified for this tournament as Champions League 2024 winners, and have won the Club World Cup an impressive five times with the last coming in 2022.
Meanwhile, Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal earned their spot through a Champions League victory of their own in Asia's format of the competition in 2021.
This is the opening game in Group H, which also features Pachuca vs Red Bull Salzburg, being played at TQL Stadium, Cincinnati later on.
You can sign up to DAZN to watch every FIFA Club World Cup game for free.
Today marks Xabi Alonso's first match in charge of Real Madrid. Alonso, who officially took over the club on June 1 after three seasons at Bayer Leverkusen, had a glittering playing career that included five seasons at Madrid. While playing for Los Blancos, Alonso won La Liga in 2011-12, the Champions League in 2013-14 and the Copa del Rey twice.
GO FURTHER
Xabi Alonso’s awkward start at Real Madrid: New hope, little time, big pressure
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FIFA has devised its new Club World Cup format with a view to the best players and biggest names in world football coming up against each other.
But as much as he tried, one global football icon is not at this tournament: Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 40-year-old Portuguese forward saw his current contract with Saudi Pro League’s Al-Nassr expire in June.
With Al-Nassr missing out on Club World Cup qualification, the hope was Ronaldo would have a desirable offer on the table to join a club that did make it.
But with the specially arranged pre-Club World Cup transfer window about to close, Ronaldo told Portuguese sportspaper Record:
💬 “There have been a lot of conversations, but there are certain things I see as making sense and not making sense.
“You can’t go to everything. You have to think short, medium and long term. I’ve pretty much made up my mind not to go to the Club World Cup, but I’ve had plenty of offers.”
Ronaldo has since stated he will continue to play for Al-Nassr next season.
GO FURTHER
Cristiano Ronaldo says he won’t be at Club World Cup, despite receiving ‘plenty of offers’
The Club World Cup could just as easily be considered the Confederation World Cup, given the legacy of each football continent sending its best team into global battle.
And generally, the European team has come out on top.
The above shows how 20 years of the tournament breaks down in terms of geography and performance, with a UEFA club in the final in all bar the first running of the competition — when Real Madrid finished fourth and Manchester United were knocked out in the group stage of the 2000 edition in Brazil.
That is why CONMEBOL has more top-three finishes than UEFA.
Real Madrid and Al-Hilal kick things off in the Club World Cup's final group today. Here's how the fixtures lay out.
Today
Sunday
Thursday, June 26
We are back at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami for today's game — the third time the Dolphins' stadium has been used at this summer's Club World Cup.
It hosted the exciting — albeit goalless — opening game on Saturday between Inter Miami and Al Ahly and then hosted the game of the tournament so far, between Boca Juniors and Benfica on Monday.
The Portuguese managed to salvage a 2-2 draw, despite being down 10 men before the Argentinian opponents also received a red card.
Here is how the two groups that kicked off yesterday look after the first round of games:
Group E
Group F
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European teams have not quite been able to crack code against their South Americans in the Club World Cup so far. Boca Juniors took a point from Benfica in Group C — and should have taken all three — while Flamengo and Chelsea lead the way in Group D.
Group C
Group D
The only teams yet to have played in this summer's Club World Cup so far are the eight in action today — so six of the eight groups have already started to take shape.
No team managed to seize an advantage in the first round of Group A fixtures, while Paris Saint-Germain and Botafogo have started strongly in Group B.
Group A
Group B
It was another productive day for the South American teams at the Club World Cup yesterday. Fluminense held Borussia Dortmund to a goalless draw in New Jersey before Monterrey — led by Sergio Ramos' opener — did the same to beaten Champions League finalists Inter.
Group E
Group F
We have four games on the slate for day five at this tournament. Less than an hour since it all gets going in Philadelphia with the reigning champions beginning their campaign.
12pm
3pm
6pm
Group H: Pachuca vs RB Salzburg — Cincinnati
9pm
All times ET
Let’s take you through how this Club World Cup itinerary breaks down, when clubs could be going home and how late the finalists will finish…
All of these dates are relative to Eastern time in the United States.
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This is uncharted territory for a competition that has 20 years of history, but nothing like what awaits it from this month.
Previously an annual tournament featuring seven clubs, we now have a 32-team competition played once every four years.
The 2025 edition has six continents and 20 countries represented across the chosen clubs, who will be hosted by 11 venues across the United States.
As yet, there is no confirmed host nation for the following Club World Cup in 2029.
So how did the 32 teams earn their place here and what do we have in store as the tournament progresses?
We’ll address all that and more, next…
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is a little different with 32 teams competing — when the previous 20 editions never brought together more than eight clubs each.
Still, the legacy of those early years will continue and a host of famous names will be looking to add to their previous victories.
Here are the most successful clubs in this competition’s history:
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Real Madrid (2014, 2016-18, 2022)
🏆🏆🏆 Barcelona (2009, 2011, 2015)
🏆🏆 Corinthians (2000, 2012), Bayern Munich (2013, 2020)
🏆 São Paulo (2005), Internacional (2006), Milan (2007), Manchester Utd (2008), Inter (2010), Liverpool (2019), Chelsea (2021), Manchester City (2023).
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The Club World Cup began in Miami on Saturday with the opening ceremony and Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami playing out a goalless draw with Egypt’s Al Ahly in this very stadium — also the site for the 2024 Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia.
Argentina prevailed 1-0 in extra time, but the match was marred by a lack of crowd control which led to a near-stampede outside the stadium’s gates before kick-off.
It was a security disaster for the tournament’s organisers (CONMEBOL) and the local government. I was there that day. There are scenes of unconscious men and women and crying children pressed against the gates that will stay with me forever.
Saturday passed much more smoothly, providing another opportunity for Hard Rock Stadium to prove it can host international football matches safely before the 2026 World Cup.
Real Madrid will be another of the big attractions for local fan groups and neutrals alike, much like Boca Juniors today.
All matches at this Club World Cup are available to watch on DAZN, so you can watch this afternoon's game in the United States and anywhere else that has access to DAZN.
Broadcasting rights to a selection of matches has also been licensed out to other broadcasters. This match will air on TNT and truTV in the U.S.
In the UK, that is free-to-air broadcaster Channel 5 — and this game is one of those they have selected for coverage.
In Australia, the Club World Cup is also available to stream on Kayo Sports.
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It’s an afternoon kick-off for this one in Miami, Fl.
Real Madrid vs Al-Hilal is scheduled to get going at 3pm ET.
That translates to 12pm noon (PT), 8pm in the UK and 4.30am in the morning for any diehard soccer fans in Australia.
Good day and welcome to the latest match of our FIFA Club World Cup coverage — specifically, a Group H opener between Real Madrid and Al-Hilal.
Real Madrid are the one of the two La Liga representatives to get going at this tournament, and will be formidable opponents as they look to capture another world title.
They are up against Saudi Pro League representatives in the competition, Al-Hilal. The Riyadh-based club qualified for the tournament courtesy of their 2021 Champions League (Asia) win.
We have full build-up and match updates on the way for you, as well as all the insight you could wish for from our team of correspondents on the ground.
Don’t go anywhere — we’ve got you covered from here.