Club World Cup Round of 16: Will Premier League and La Liga giants step up or fall?
by Joseph King | by Joseph King
Chelsea, City and Real Madrid’s paths to the R16
The remaining teams are now one step closer to lifting the 2025 Club World Cup trophy as we head into the round of 16. Among them are only three teams from the Premier League and La Liga. Let's take a quick look at how things turned out for each in the group stage.
Group D results
| Team | Record (W-D-L) | Points | Goal differential |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flamengo | 2-1-0 | 7 | +4 |
| Chelsea | 2-0-1 | 6 | +3 |
| ES Tunis | 1-0-2 | 3 | -4 |
| LAFC | 0-1-2 | 1 | -3 |
Chelsea finished second in their group after accumulating six points, with their 3-1 loss to group winners Flamengo proving to be the pivotal fixture. However, it might have been for the best as Bayern finishing second in their group means that the Blues will face off against Benfica instead of the Bavarian giants.
Group G results
| Team | Record (W-D-L) | Points | Goal differential |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester City | 3-0-0 | 9 | +11 |
| Juventus | 2-0-1 | 6 | +5 |
| Al Ain | 1-0-2 | 3 | -10 |
| Wydad Casablanca | 0-0-3 | 0 | -6 |
Defending champions Man City cruised through the group stage and were certainly impressive. They're the only team to currently maintain a flawless record and their +11 goal differential is the highest in the tournament. Their 5-2 thrashing of Juventus in matchday three has many of the bookmakers now placing the Citizens as the favourites to be named Club World Cup champions. This is also owing to the fact that they are on the favourable side of the bracket that avoids PSG, Bayern and Real Madrid.
Group H results
| Team | Record (W-D-L) | Points | Goal differential |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Madrid | 2-1-0 | 7 | +5 |
| Al Hilal | 1-2-0 | 5 | +2 |
| RB Salzburg | 1-1-1 | 4 | -2 |
| Pachuca | 0-0-3 | 0 | -5 |
Real Madrid, the record five-time winners of this tournament, were clinical in their 3-0 dismantling of RB Salzburg to claim the top spot in Group H. They’ve now scored three goals in back-to-back matches after being held to a goalless draw in the CWC opener.
Chelsea vs Benfica
- Date: 28 June
- Time: 21:00 BST
- Venue: Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC)
Benfica presents an intriguing opponent for Chelsea. The Eagles finished as second best in the Primeira Liga and the Taca de Portugal last season (both at the hands of Sporting). Despite this, they’ve proven to be an exceptionally difficult team to beat over the last few months as you can read about in our Benfica vs Chelsea prediction.
In 90 minute regulation time, Benfica haven’t lost since March 11th, when they fell away to Barcelona in the UCL. Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea will be confident of progression though, as the Blues have five wins from their last six, one of which was the Conference League title.
Man City vs Al Hilal
- Date: 01 July
- Time: 02:00 BST
- Venue: Camping World Stadium (Orlando, FL)
Man City are looking good. Playing with a real hunger following Guardiola’s first trophyless season since his first year in charge of the Sky Blues.
They’ll have to be wary against this Al Hilal side, though. The Saudi team has top-class talent with the likes of SMS, Neves, Malcolm, Al-Dawsari and former City player Joao Cancelo. However, the absence of striker Aleksander Mitrovic is a tough blow.
While normally, one might question the motivation of a team like Man City in a competition like this, their poor season in 2024-25 could drive them to come out with a real statement of intent.
Real Madrid vs Juventus
- Date: 01 July
- Time: 20:00 BST
- Venue: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL)
Juventus could prove to be a tricky opponent for Real Madrid. However, they were comprehensively torn apart time and time again by Man City in the final group stage game, something that is sure to give Los Blancos plenty of confidence ahead of their meeting with the Old Lady.
While manager Xabi Alonso has stated that he hopes to have Kylian Mbappe back soon, the French striker’s availability for this round of 16 match is looking unlikely. Mbappe’s absence has opened the door for academy product Gonzalo Garcia, who has been producing solid production for Madrid. The 21-year-old has scored twice and provided an assist in his three appearances in the group stage.
What is the bracket looking like for these three teams?
The two Premier League clubs are expected to advance. Man City would face either Champions League runners-up Inter or Fluminense in the next round while Chelsea would have a meeting with one of the Brazilian giants in Palmeiras or Botafogo. With the way the bracket has turned out, City and Chelsea look like they could be set for a collision course in the semi-final.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, have a tough road to the final. Should they get by Juve, a matchup against either Dortmund or Monterrey awaits in the quarters. While they will be favourites to make it past them, a clash with either PSG or Bayern Munich in the semi-finals looks likely. We should see the above three teams making it to at least the semis. From there, anything can happen.
