The new format for the FIFA Club World Cup has no doubt generated controversy. The 32-team tournament, which kicks off on Saturday in Miami with Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami against Egyptian side Al Ahly, is adding to already-dire fixture congestion. Teams, who are either in the midst of, or just finished their domestic club seasons a few weeks ago, will also be forced to field their best available lineups.
While there will certainly be concerns about burnout, the quality of pitches in the US and the merits of FIFA trying to shoehorn Messi into the tournament, fans will be able to see some of the best players in the world in action. There is up to $125 million in prize money available for the winners of the tournament and clubs will look to take this seriously.
Real Madrid have already offered their players €1 million each in bonuses if they win the Club World Cup. There are other heavy hitters like PSG, Bayern Munich and Manchester City in the competition. Plus, iconic South American sides like Boca Juniors, River Plate, Flamengo and Palmeiras are all taking part. While controversial, the FIFA Club World Cup should be interesting and we’ll preview the action from a betting perspective.
Plus, stay tuned for our best soccer bet, from a value perspective, for the revamped FIFA Club World Cup.
FIFA Club World Cup Top Contenders
Real Madrid
There are plenty of reasons Real Madrid are taking this competition seriously. They’re coming off a bad campaign, for their standards, as they lost out on the La Liga and Copa del Rey titles to Barcelona. They also unceremoniously crashed out of the Champions League by losing to Arsenal. Granted, they did win the Intercontinental Cup and UEFA Super Cup.
Regardless, they’ll want to get off to a good start under new manager Xabi Alonso, who became a Real Madrid legend as a player. Real mean business, as they paid Liverpool €10 million so Trent Alexander-Arnold could join in time for the Club World Cup. Real Madrid are also offering all players a €1 million bonus if they win this competition.
As the first winners of the European Cup and Intercontinental Cup, Real also want to be the first winners of the revamped Club World Cup. Currently, they sit at +410 odds to win. However, they have plenty of injury concerns heading into the tournament.
PSG
First time Champions League winners PSG are at +470 odds to win the FIFA Club World Cup as well. They absolutely demolished Inter Milan in the UCL Final, to the tune of a 5-0 victory. Desire Doue announced himself on the world stage, with two goals in the final. Most of the members of the PSG starting XI are world class players and Luis Enrique is clearly a top coach.
Ousmane Dembele recently, and deservedly, took the lead in the Ballon d’Or race. However, he’s sit to miss the group stage games with a hip injury. Meanwhile, Vitinha and Joao Neves have bossed the midfield on countless occasions over the last 12 months. The addition of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli has also transformed PSG’s attack.
Gianluigi Donnarumma has proved his worth in net time and time again. Plus, PSG’s fullbacks, Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi are coming off stellar seasons. It wouldn’t at all be surprising to see the Parisians carry over their form but they’ll need Bradley Barcola to step up in Dembele’s absence.
Manchester City
Manchester City are coming off their worst season under Pep Guardiola. Even in Pep’s worst campaign, City still managed to qualify for the Champions League and they’ve already started retooling. Following the departure of club legend Kevin De Bruyne, City have made quick moves in the transfer market.
All of Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki should be able to play in the competition if the paperwork gets sorted. Don’t forget that City have a goal machine, in Erling Haaland. With 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri back from an ACL injury, Man City are a much more balanced side. However, it’ll take time for him to reach his previous form.
Guardiola is hyper competitive and he’s not going to let City take this competition lightly. So, it’s no surprise that City sit at +550 odds to win the FIFA Club World Cup either.
Bayern Munich
Harry Kane broke his career-long trophy-less streak a few weeks ago as Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga title. Kane led the Bundesliga, with 26 goals, and he’ll lead the line for Bayern at the Club World Cup.
However, focus will also be on club legend Thomas Muller, who will be playing in his last competition with his boyhood club. Muller has won all there is to win with Bayern and it would be truly special if he closes this chapter in his career with another trophy.
Bayern also recently added Jonathan Tah from Bayer Leverkusen, which should strengthen their backline, especially with Kim Min-jae an injury doubt. Along with Kane, Bayern have plenty of attacking talents like Michael Olise, Serge Gnabry and Jamal Musiala.
Plus, Joshua Kimmich was at his best last season and he can unlock defenses from his deep lying midfield role.
Bayern certainly have a shot to win this thing and they enter the FIFA Club World Cup at +700 outright odds.
Other Contenders
Chelsea
Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea finished the 2024-25 season strongly. They clinched fourth place in the Premier League, returning to the Champions League after two seasons away. The Blues also comprehensively defeated Real Betis in the Conference League Final, 4-1. Now, they have a favorable group in the Club World Cup, which includes LAFC, Esperance de Tunis and Flamengo.
Cole Palmer grabs headlines but the midfield duo of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez is incredibly solid. Caicedo recently won Chelsea’s Player of the Season award. Chelsea are undoubtedly a talented bunch but consistency is the issue for this young group. It’s hard to trust they can beat any of the teams above them on this list. Hence, Chelsea come in at +1100 odds to win the FIFA Club World Cup.
Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid beat out Barcelona to a FIFA Club World Cup berth and they shouldn’t be taken lightly. Diego Simeone’s side are tough to defeat in knockout competitions and they have some highly dangerous players.
Alexander Sorloth scored seven goals in the last four games of the La Liga season. Meanwhile, Julian Alvarez is a world class forward. The same goes for Jan Oblak in goal and Antoine Griezmann. Atletico Madrid to win this competition, at +1500 odds, may actually be a bargain.
However, they are in the same group as PSG, which means that they can’t afford any other slip ups in the group stage. If they end up with a favorable knockout stage draw, the sky’s the limit for Atletico.
Inter Milan
You might think Inter Milan would be higher on this list after reaching the Champions League Final. However, the last few games of the UCL, especially the Final, which they lost 5-0, exposed their defensive issues. Inter has an aging squad: starting center back Francesco Acerbi is 37, while midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is 36. Now, highly successful coach Simone Inzaghi is off to Saudi Arabia.
Cristian Chivu spent a bunch of years at Inter as a player but this will be his first high-level coaching gig. You’d expect it would take time for Inter to find their footing under Chivu. So, the Club World Cup may involve some growing pains. Inter at +1700 outright odds is not exactly a big surprise.
Dark Horses
Borussia Dortmund
With eight games to go in the Bundesliga season, Borussia Dortmund were in 11th place, ten points outside of a Champions League spot. Over the last eight games of the campaign, Niko Kovac’s team went 7-1-0 and managed to beat SC Freiburg to the last UCL spot.
Serhou Guirassy has been on fire and the striker was the joint-leading scorer in the Champions League, with 13 goals. He also found the net 21 times in the Bundesliga, including six goals in his last five games of the season. Karim Adeyemi was also a key player in the final stretch as he scored some big goals.
Dortmund made the Champions League Final last year, have a favorable group and will see this tournament as an opportunity. They show +2600 odds to win the whole thing but their defensive record does not exactly inspire much hope.
Juventus
Igor Tudor did just enough to guide Juventus to the Champions League after taking over in late March. Juve beat out Roma to fourth place in Serie A by one point with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Venezia on the final day. Still, Juventus don’t score nearly enough goals to take them very seriously as a FIFA Club World Cup contender.
In nine games under Tudor, in which the Bianconeri went 5-3-1, Juve have scored just 13 goals. Juventus extended Randal Kolo Muani and Francisco Conceicao’s loans for the Club World Cup but there’s still something missing from the equation. After dominating Serie A in the 2010s, Juventus have won only one trophy in the last five years.
We expect them to fall short here and their +3300 outright odds aren’t much of a surprise.
Benfica
Benfica just recently missed out on the Portuguese League title by two points. The Lisbon side have a relatively difficult group in this Club World Cup and it is not at all certain that they’ll reach the knockout stage.
They’ll have to take on Boca Juniors in Miami, which has a sizable Argentine population, to kick off the tournament. Plus, Benfica are in the same group as Bayern Munich. We’d stay away from Benfica at +4000 odds, even though they have some talented players like Vangelis Pavlidis and Orkun Kokcu.
Flamengo
The first non-European team on this list is Flamengo, who are currently in first place in the Brazilian Serie A. They just picked up former Champions League winner Jorginho from Arsenal and have plenty of players with top level experience. Serie A fans will undoubtedly remember former Juventus fullbacks Danilo and Alex Sandro, along with Erick Pulgar and Matias Viña. Gerson, Flamengo’s captain, also spent time with Marseille.
However, the player to watch here is Uruguay international Giorgian de Arrascaeta, who has gotten off to a very hot start to the season. Flamengo should advance as one of the top two in a group with Chelsea, Esperance de Tunis and Los Angeles FC. From there, who knows what could happen?
The latest odds list Flamengo at +5000 to come away with the Club World Cup trophy.
Palmeiras
Bettors can find fellow Brazilian side Palmeiras at the same price as Flamengo. Palmeiras don’t have as much firepower as Flamengo but they’re not an easy team to beat. Plus, Chelsea have let Estevao Willian play for Palmeiras at the Club World Cup before joining the Blues later in the Summer.
The match against Inter Miami will be crucial for Palmeiras’ knockout stage hopes but they could also end up surprising FC Porto.
FC Porto
Speaking of FC Porto, they’re also at +5000 odds to win the expanded FIFA Club World Cup. Porto struggled in the 2024-25 season after manager Sergio Conceicao stepped down last Summer. They finished a distant third behind Sporting and Benfica and didn’t advance past the playoff round in the Europa League.
However, they did just add talented midfielder Gabri Veiga and Samu Omorodion scored 25 goals this season, in all competitions. Porto should advance out of their group but they’ll likely struggle against stronger sides.
Notable Longshots
River Plate
Argentine giants River Plate have played 24 games in 2025 and have only lost one time. Plus, one of the best young talents in the world, Franco Mastantuono, will play the FIFA Club World Cup with River Plate before joining Real Madrid this Summer. River Plate also have World Cup winners Gonzalo Montiel, German Pezzella and Marcos Acuña in defense.
River Plate have a clear path to the round of 16, with matches against Urawa Reds, Monterrey and Inter Milan. They sit at +6500 odds to win the Club World Cup and aren’t a terrible pick from a value perspective.
Boca Juniors
River Plate’s bitter rivals Boca Juniors show +7500 odds to win the Club World Cup. It’ll take Edinson Cavani turning back the clock and scoring a bunch for Boca Juniors to have a shot.
They’re in a difficult group, which includes Benfica, Bayern Munich and Auckland City. It’d be an achievement if they’re just able to reach the knockout stage.
Botafogo
The most recent Copa Libertadores champions are Botafogo, who defeated Atletico Mineiro in last year’s final. However, their manager Artur Jorge left for Al Rayyan in Qatar at the beginning of 2025. Since then, Botafogo haven’t been anywhere close to their best.
So, they come in at +7500 odds to win the FIFA Club World Cup.
Inter Miami
Messi and Inter Miami won the Leagues Cup in 2023 but this represents a huge step up in quality. Yes, Inter Miami have a favorable group and it would be good for FIFA if Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba make a run here.
However, all of these aging stars will be unable to compete with the likes of PSG, Real Madrid and Manchester City. It should make for good viewing, though, and Inter Miami sit at +7500 outright odds.
Al Hilal
Al Hilal might just be the most intriguing team in the competition. They have big name players lkike Ruben Neves, Yassine Bounou, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Joao Cancelo. Young striker Marcos Leonardo has been on fire lately. They also have Simone Inzaghi on board as their new coach, who has consistently overachieved in knockout tournaments.
Al Hilal have every chance to go on to the knockout stage in a group with Real Madrid, RB Salzburg and Pachuca. RB Salzburg are by far the weakest European team in the competition and Al Hilal can put the Saudi Pro League further on the map with a good performance here.
They sit at +10000 odds to win the FIFA Club World Cup and it would be quite a story if they were to win.
FIFA Club World Cup: Full Odds Board
Here are the best odds on each and every team to win the FIFA Club World Cup:
- Real Madrid +410
- PSG +470
- Man City +550
- Bayern Munich +700
- Chelsea +1100
- Atletico Madrid +1500
- Inter Milan +1700
- Borussia Dortmund +2600
- Juventus +3300
- Benfica +4000
- Flamengo +5000
- Palmeiras +5000
- FC Porto +5000
- River Plate +6500
- Boca Juniors +7500
- Fluminense +7500
- Botafogo +7500
- Inter Miami CF +7500
- Los Angeles FC +8000
- Al Hilal +10000
- Salzburg +12500
- Seattle Sounders FC +15000
- CF Pachuca +17500
- Al-Ahly (Egypt) +25000
- CF Monterrey +25000
- Ulsan HD +30000
- Urawa Red Diamonds +50000
- Al-Ain +50000
- Sundowns FC +75000
- Esperance de Tunis +100000
- Wydad AC +100000
- Auckland City +250000
FIFA Club World Cup: Best Soccer Bet(s)
There are a couple of bets on the odds board that stand out from a value perspective. If you’re looking for a longshot, the best soccer bet is Al Hilal, at +10000. They are much more talented than the odds imply and Inzaghi could guide them to a deep run. However, they aren’t exactly used to high level games, which makes their range of outcomes very wide.
Of the “legitimate contenders”, we think only a few have a real shot to win. Real Madrid’s squad is still very unbalanced and dealing with injury issues, so we’d stay away from them even with the hefty bonuses offered to their players. PSG could go on to win but it’ll be tough for them to keep up the motivation after winning a more prestigious competition, in the Champions League.
Manchester City are an intriguing pick and they have been incredibly active trying to improve their squad. With Rodri back at his disposal, Pep Guardiola may find a lot more success with his system. While a decent soccer bet, we don’t think they represent the best value on the odds board. Bayern Munich could also win but Leroy Sane just left for Galatasaray.
Chelsea are too inconsistent to trust, while Inter Milan are coming off a monumental defeat to PSG which could be demoralizing. That leaves us with Atletico Madrid, at +1500, as one of the very best soccer bets on the odds board.
Atletico split their meetings with tournament favorites Real Madrid this year and there’s no team in world football Atleti can’t beat in a one off. The Alvarez and Sorloth combination should trouble even the best defenses in the world. So, among real contenders, our best soccer bet is Atletico Madrid at +1500.
