FIFA Club World Cup
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The final day of Club World Cup last-16 action is upon us as Real Madrid and Juventus battle it out for a quarter-final place.
The Spaniards are the record winners of this tournament and will be looking to add to their five titles. Standing in their way today are a Juventus team that have never won it.
Madrid eased through Group H, topping it with seven points while the Italians had to settle for the runner-up spot in Group H behind Manchester City.
The winner of this tie will face Borussia Dortmund or Monterrey in the last eight.
You can sign up to DAZN to watch every FIFA Club World Cup game for free.
Some players just call it a day, collapse into the warm embrace of retirement. Others go to Saudi Arabia or Qatar for a pay cheque. Some choose MLS: an adventure, but a relatively sanitised one.
Sergio Ramos didn’t go for any of those options when he ran out of road at the top level of European football. He followed in the footsteps of a few like-minded rebels — Andre-Pierre Gignac, Ravel Morrison — and went to Mexico. Ramos is more of a fighter than a lover, but you couldn’t deny the romance of the move.
The four intervening months have done nothing to dim Ramos’ dazzling main-character energy. He is Monterrey’s captain — of course he is — and, judging by the reception he received before kick-off, already a firm fan favourite. He still plays with the same imperious swagger, too. He spent the opening stages here strutting around the place like a bad boy royal at his own house party.
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Sergio Ramos spent 16 years at Real Madrid between 2005 and 2021.
He should have left the club with nothing but love in his heart and the hearts of everyone who watched him play like his life depended on it at the Bernabeu.
But it was a messy ending and one that left a bitter taste in the mouth of so many people associated with the club.
If you want to relive the end of Ramos at Madrid, then look no further than the brilliant piece below.
GO FURTHER
Sergio Ramos brought noise, love and passion to Real Madrid – he is the ‘last idol of Madridismo’
If Real Madrid beat Juventus here, there will be an intriguing storyline to look forward to in the quarter-final whatever happens in Atlanta later.
It will either be the Bellingham derby or Sergio Ramos will face his former club.
Now at Monterrey, the former Madrid captain will be desperate to set up that meeting in the last eight.
I can almost already see him scoring the bullet header to knock them out…
The eagle-eyed among you will have realised that we could be in for a really interesting storyline in the quarter-final.
Jude Bellingham's Real Madrid are on course to meet Jobe Bellingham's Borussia Dortmund in the last eight.
It will be the first time the two brothers have faced in a senior match and would make for some brilliant photos, I'm sure.
A long way to go before we can worry about that, though…
Three of the Club World Cup quarter-finals are set as we look forward to an exciting couple of days at the end of the week.
Friday, July 4
Saturday, July 5
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 in total.
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The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup has been 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 United (2008), Inter (2010), Liverpool (2019), Chelsea (2021), Manchester City (2023)
It was breathless stuff for the majority of the 120 minutes of Al Hilal's extra-time victory against Manchester City.
For me, it was without doubt the best game of the Club World Cup so far. And, if you missed it, you're in luck.
You can catch up with our briefing by visiting the link below or you can relive every kick by going here for our live coverage.
GO FURTHER
How Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal stunned Man City in Club World Cup – ex-Premier League stars, kick-off protest and cost of exit
You would have got very good odds on predicting Fluminense and Al Hilal progressing yesterday from their ties against Inter and Manchester City.
We were treated to two good games. The first of them saw Fluminense run out deserved winners after a goal at the very start and very end of the game against Inter, having restricted their opponents to their first game without a goal at the tournament.
Then, it was chaos in the match between Al Hilal and Man City in Orlando. The two teams shared seven goals in a game that was decided in extra time with the Saudi Arabians prevailing thanks to Marcos Leonardo's winning goal.
It was a brilliant day of football and one that just checked the progress of the European teams after they had threatened to dominate the latter stages.
Six last-16 ties down and just two to go — here is what has happened at this stage of the tournament over the last few days.
Saturday, June 28
Sunday, June 29
Monday, June 30
The last of the last-16 games are on today's Club World Cup menu.
Firstly, we're here in Miami before heading over to MetLife Stadium for the final game that will confirm the quarter-final line-up.
3pm
9pm
All times ET
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It was midnight in Miami Gardens, Florida. Traffic was buzzing around Hard Rock Stadium after Lionel Messi and Inter Miami faced Brazilian powerhouse Palmeiras. Over 60,000 people had just attended the Club World Cup match on June 23.
The walk from Hard Rock Stadium’s southwest exit to one of the main streets that surround the venue is a short distance. Hundreds of fans, energized by the 2-2 draw between the two sides, discussed the match as they left the stadium’s outskirts. They followed signs directing fans to the stadium’s rideshare pick up area, designated as Lot 30.
“Keep going, keep walking,” a stadium security guard repeated on a loop, as fans stared at their phones and asked bewilderedly where Lot 30 could possibly be. After a few more steps, the crowd reached Carl F. Barger Boulevard, a busy street that runs outside the perimeter of the stadium. The confusion was palpable. Perplexed fans wondered out loud if they had chosen the correct stadium exit.
Read more below
GO FURTHER
Soccer fans stuck between Hard Rock Stadium and a ride home: ‘I’ll never go to another game, especially not here’
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
We started this tournament here in Miami and this is the last game it will host at the Club World Cup.
It was also the site for the 2024 Copa América final between Argentina and Colombia.
Argentina prevailed 1-0 in extra time, but the match was marred by a lack of crowd control that led to a near stampede outside the stadium’s gates before kickoff. It was a security disaster for the tournament’s organizers (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.
The Club World Cup has been another opportunity for Hard Rock Stadium to prove it can host international football matches safely before the 2026 World Cup.
If you’re a sports fan, there is no better place to follow all your favourite teams, leagues, and players than with The Athletic.
From the UK, we’ve got you covered throughout this expanded Club World Cup and on into the build-up to next summer’s World Cup, while Wimbledon started yesterday. Elsewhere, the F1 season is well into its European swing and there is Open Championship golf just a couple of weeks away.
We have the lot covered and much more besides, so make sure you’re fully informed with access to our full experience. And you’re in luck — you can subscribe to The Athletic on an exclusive offer here.
As with every game at this Club World Cup, DAZN are the broadcast rights holders so you will be able to watch it over there.
They have licensed some of their rights out to other providers for this tournament, but TNT in the U.S. and Channel 5 in the UK will not be showing this one.
This game is being played in the earlier slot, which will be good news for those of you in Europe hoping to watch along.
It kicks off at 3pm local time (ET), so that is 12pm on the west coast, 8pm in the UK and 9pm in Central Europe.
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Hello! And welcome to The Athletic where we are celebrating the start of July with yet more Club World Cup action.
After two enthralling last-16 ties yesterday, there are two more games on the way today.
The first of those pits two European giants against each other with Real Madrid and Juventus meeting in Miami.
We will have all the build-up and then live coverage of the match, so don't go anywhere!